Elements of Aura: Trial of Darkness
by Pete the Rock
Summary: When Delia is kidnapped by an entity of Dark Aura, Sakura turns to Ash for help and both go on a journey to rescue his mother. PKMN, CCS, TM, KR, CardCaptorShipper, AshXSakura.
1. Resurrection of the Forbidden Aura

_Disclaimer: No ownership of Pokémon,Card Captor Sakura, Tenchi Muyo or Kamen Rider.  
Requested by darkliger01  
Summary: When Delia is kidnapped by an entity of Dark Aura, Sakura turns to Ash for help. Ash and Sakura go on a journey to rescue the mother._

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_**Elements of Aura: Trial of Darkness**_

_Chapter 1: Resurrection of the Forbidden Aura_

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History had depicted that humans and Pokémon have been in peace for many centuries. While this piece of history remains factual, no one in this day in age has any idea of a darker history which led up to this peace. Hundreds of years ago, humans and Pokémon didn't see eye-to-eye and that's the light way of putting it. The two beings were at war. Humans engaged the Pokémon to capture and enslave, closeting their care for these unique creatures who walked, crawled, slithered, swam and flew along the same land, sea and air the humans enjoyed with one another. The Pokémon would soon become rebellious and attack their abusers, their slave drivers and killed many a warrior to escape custody. While hordes of humans were enemies to Pokémon, there were peacemakers amongst the armies of murderous humans, a special group who've seen the hardships of Pokémon and constituted an honor of protecting the well-being of these magnificent beings that share the same world. These followers did not just side with the Pokémon but also mastered an ancient technique called Elemental Aura. Very little is mentioned in what the technique was, how it was used, where it stemmed from or who were the masters of it. Some had believed that these Aura users came in many forms, equivalent to the attributes of the Pokémon from fire to flying to even dragon. Some want to think that these Aura masters were once Pokémon who never separated from their persona and envelop the powers of their former selves. Regardless of the lacked history, one thing came about the arrival of the Elemental Aura masters into the war. The masters and their legion formed a wall, blocking the Pokémon from their enemies. This protest became the moment the war of humans and Pokémon was resolved. Guided by the masters, the humans began to understand and respect the Pokémon which in turn saw the light that not all humans were villainous and cruel. The power of these Elemental Aura masters revealed a light that was never seen through the bloodshed of many humans and Pokémon. Those who followed learned the secret of the Elemental Aura that they would share to those who vow to share along with the Pokémon. Many hundreds of years have passed since the war and the humans and Pokémon have never been closer.

Today, the Elemental Aura has passed to everyone who has lived and passed down the generation lines. Peace is law and fights are few and far between. Elemental Aura is as common as America and baseball. The Auras were based off the elements of the same Pokémon: Normal, Water, Fire, Ice, Electricity, Grass/Plant, Bug/Insect, Ground/Earth, Rock, Steel, Dark, Flying/Aerial, Fighting, Poison, Psychic, Ghost and Dragon. Because of the new generations, there have been mixed elements like Ghost and Ice or Fire and Fighting. While fighting has been practically nonexistent, there are people who fight with each other and sometimes with Pokémon. These warriors were called Battlers. Battlers competed against each other to resolve disputes or just as a spar to practice for occasions which their lives depended on it. While there's peace in the world, an evil lurked somewhere in the Johto Region. A rundown fortress was seen in the outskirts of Mt. Silver. There was a large machine that was being built by a short pink-haired girl in dark drabs. Working the monkey wrench, she twisted screws and bolts into place. The machine had two beds resting next to each other. The girl wiped sweat from her forehead holding a hammer.

"_**How goes the machine, Washu?" **_ an eerie voice echoed. The girl, Washu, groaned at the tone of the haunting voice.

"It's almost done," she whimpered. No wonder. There was an iron ball chained to her leg. She was a slave.

"_**Soon, I'll have my youth restored thanks to your Juraian technology. It'll be magnificently easier to obtain the reduction of age than my old technique of absorption."** _Juraian technology? The slave continued to moan in displeasure, being forced to construct this piece of work.

"700 years of being a mad scientist did not come with slavery as a requirement." 700 years? Some people would be happy to crack 100. But the cracking voice cackled at the words of the girl- uh, woman.

"_**700 years is a childish age. You have only lived a fraction, 1/3 of my time in existence."**_ Forget old, the cracking female's voice was ancient. **_"Over two millenniums, I've exceeded in mastering the darkness that became the ultimate me. Ever since I was exiled from the council which I erected for taking the youth of a few hundred rebels, I've seen the humans as nothing more than rodents."_** Someone despised humans. Washu began to question the dark maiden's motive.

"If you think 700 years is still young, why not take my youth instead of just someone out in the world?" Humanly, she looked no older than eighteen.

"_**Two reasons: my powers have no effect on anything non-human and you have a purpose of being here."**_ That purpose being creating the machine.

"So, when I'm done, I can go, right?" The ancient's response. Without warning, Washu's neck was quickly tighten, choking the mad scientist. She began to float a little bit but she was struggling to receive air. Just when it looked like Washu was about to suffocate, a force threw her into a wall. Her head smacked the wall and without sufficient air in her alien brain, she was out cold.

"_**Fool!" **_Moving on, the ancient managed to create an orb out of midair. **_"Now, darkness? I need someone to fulfill a task of obtaining the perfect specimen for my regeneration of youth." _**The orb began to reveal an Asian brunette who looked lost in space. He was in a coffee shop where he was pouring sugar into his coffee. Lots and lots and lots of sugar. Screw creamer, he'd like coffee to go with his large cup of sugar.

"Hey, buddy," one irate customer growled. "The rest of us would like to use some sugar!" The Asian turned around with a scowl, not appreciating the tone of the customer.

"There's always sweetener," he snarled as he capped his cup and left the shop. He walked down the street minding his own business. His destination was unknown, even to him. Suddenly, a veil of black emerged and surrounded the Asian. "What now?" Crowds turned to the sight as the Asian was consumed in the veil. That's when the veil...and the Asian vanished. What happened? No one was sure what just occurred. Meanwhile in a different location, a brunette girl was zooming down sidewalks on roller blades. Despite wearing a white beret instead of a helmet and black schoolgirl uniform with a white skirt that could blow and reveal her...unmentionables, she was flying through the streets. She seemed to be heading somewhere. As she rounded a corner, something caught her eyes. It was a brunette female adult with what seemed to be a clown with sticks for limbs. The brunette wore a pink button-down blouse and long lilac skirt. She and the clown entered a bakery. This intrigued the younger brunette who rolled right by the door where the adult was making some sort of deal.

"I got a call saying that my cake was ready," the adult explained. A cake?

"Yeah, Jim's getting it packed up," the cashier confirmed. Who's the cake for? When the cashier checked up on Jim in the back, the clown spotted the kid at the entrance.

("Sakura, it's you!") the clown shouted. The adult heard her clown and turned to see the kid as well.

"Oh, Sakura!" the customer greeted. "It's a pleasure seeing you around." The cashier came back with a large cake encased in a box. Sakura became interested with what the cake was about.

"What's the occasion, Mrs. Ketchum?" she snickered. Mrs. Ketchum chuckled at the curiosity of Sakura.

"Well, today is our one year anniversary of the new family. I'm presenting this cake to Norman for today's celebration and hopefully we can share some with our children." Sakura wouldn't mind having some of the cake. That's when she wondered about Mrs. Ketchum's husband.

"Do you have anything planned with Norman?" That was an interesting question for Mrs. Ketchum to come up with a reply.

"Norman's already got reservations to a dinner where he took Caroline on their first anniversary." The thought of Caroline abruptly caused Mrs. Ketchum to frown. Sakura realized why the thought saddened her.

"Right, Norman's visiting her grave today as well. I can't believe it's been two years already." Caroline had passed away long before this story. No wonder Mrs. Ketchum felt for Norman. Unbeknown to either, the ancient one was monitoring the two but mostly on the older brunette.

"_**She has the youth I desire," **_she cackled. **_"My, the perfect subject for the rejuvenation of my immortal beauty and strength for conquering the world."_** She was joined by the Asian but not Washu. _**"Yuto Sakurai, I've summoned you to attain this rodent. You possess a great Dragon and Steel Aura that can accomplish this task."**_ Yuto scowled at the ancient one, not liking the tone she gave off.

"You brought me over here to snatch a mother?" he questioned. "You go do it, I don't need this treatment!" At least he's punctual. The ancient one wasn't going to let his tone slide.

"_**You do not have a choice. I know that belt you wear is not for show. That belt contains powers that can defeat all that stand in your way."**_ Forgot about the belt. How could a belt prove the power of one person? This was an Aura-filled world.

"I'm not one to aid those who can do the task themselves. I'm outta here." So he says... Just like Washu, Yuto was forced into the air with that mysterious choke. Struggling to breathe, he reached to pull out what's suspending him in the air.

"_**Maybe what you need is an attitude adjustment. I wished to refrain from this but your behavior has left me little option." **_That's when Yuto's head was encased in more darkness. Then, something eerier than the ancient's voice occurred: the darkness seeped into his ears, mouth, nose and eyes. Not a lot of room for anything to get behind anyone's eyes but she did it. The force suddenly released Yuto and he clutched his head in agonizing pain. He screamed loudly but he couldn't shake what was consuming his brain. After a minute of trying to fight off the energy, he succumbed. No, he's not dead. He opened his eyes, changing them from brown...to pitch black. That isolated desire had vanished. He was now the ancient one's puppet. **_"Now that you are my possession, I order you to attain that woman."_**

"Yes, O lord." Mind possessed, Yuto was now out to chase Mrs. Ketchum. Speaking of, she and Sakura picked up some tea to bring home as the clown held the cake reading "NORMAN + DELIA 1 YEAR OF MARRIAGE." Guess Mrs. Ketchum's first name was Delia since Norman was mentioned.

"I still find it odd that Norman wanted to change his last name to Ketchum instead of you," Sakura joked. Delia wasn't laughing too much but did understand why Sakura was wondering about this piece.

"It was Norman's idea of having a last name to remember by," she explained. "But I think he wanted to make sure I wasn't alone with Ash and he didn't want May and Max to live without a mother." That's rather deep of her to accept Norman. "Then again, Max had looked up to Ash as a big brother so in all, it worked out. Ash has siblings and a father, Max and May have a mother again and..." And? Come on, Delia, release the suspense! "Well, I wanna have another child with him. I could care less about gender, as long as he or she's healthy is wonderful enough for me." Sakura smiled at the contribution Delia wanted to give. Then she had something to say.

"Speaking of Ash, well..." Now it was Sakura's turn to influence suspense. "I wanna stop just being friends." Delia and the clown were surprised with the sudden admission. She wanted to stop being friends with Ash? Why? How long were they friends?

"But Sakura, you and Ash have been best human friends for months!" Sakura realized she said something wrong. She had a comeback ready, right?

"N-No, not like that! I-I mean I wanna be more than simply being friends with him!" Oh, now Delia was suspicious of what Sakura tried to comment on. "Sorry if that came out wrong. It's just..." Poor Sakura. She can't get her words out. Delia had a hunch at what Sakura wanted to connect.

"You love my son, don't you?" Found out, Sakura hiccuped stunned. She wildly blushed, her face as red as the apples on one stand they passed. "I understand and I can help you with that." Sakura's day can't get any better, can it? She was in glee with Delia's support. "I mean, you two have been best friends for quite some time even during the day Ash got his Battler license." Sakura giggled at the good fortune. However, it was about to be dashed.

"I found you!" someone who sounded like Yuto shouted. Was it Yuto? The women turned to a man in metallic green armor and clutching a sword with a triangle point pointing at Delia. "The Ancient of Darkness wants you!" Delia and Sakura were in trouble. Who was this green knight and why was he after Delia? Was he the possessed Sakurai? What can Sakura do to protect Delia?

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TO BE CONTINUED...


	2. Endangered Ketchum

_Chapter 2: Endangered Ketchum

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_

Trouble. Sakura and Delia faced down a man in green steel who seemed to come for Delia on the Ancient One's request. Wherever Norman was, his new bride was in danger. New bride since his old one had passed away a couple years ago. "The Ancient of Darkness?" she repeated the knight's words. The knight showed no emotion. Technically, because he wore a helmet.

"You have no say in opposing this order," the knight moaned. "Come quietly and I can assure you no harm to Mr. Mime or this little girl." Sakura weighed in on whether to listen to the green knight or defend Delia.

"I may not have a Battler's license but I gotta do something," she growled. She needed a plan when she felt something in her pocket. There was a card inside. She pulled the card from the lining of her skirt which was taller than a playing card and had a red back. The front of the card was a white angel with "LIGHT" underneath the picture. "Dress me a rabbit's foot and call me lucky." She had a plan. She cupped her hands in front of herself where a shine of light flashed. "Release!" The flash brightened brighter. Finally, Sakura grabbed the light which formed into a large pink wand. It had a star encircled at the top. Delia was a bit surprised to see Sakura whip out that wand.

"Sakura, you can't!" she protested. "You don't have a Battler's license!" Like a Battler's license mattered now?

"I bet he doesn't have one either." An illegal battle? "Trust me." The knight raced in with his sword. It was now or never. "Light!" She flicked the card which spun a little before striking it with the wand which further lightened the card. It was so bright, it appeared that Sakura, Delia and Mr. Mime disintegrated. The knight raced into the light and swung his sword. The light dimmed and the knight was in his follow-through...and there was no blood on the blade. Weird? Not really. The knight looked around with no sight of the Pokémon...or the females. He searched but saw only people who witnessed the illegal action. Sirens from police. He had to move out before getting arrested for illegal battling.

"Don't relax." In a veil of darkness, the knight vanished. Police arrived at the scene but moments too late. So now what? As the police interview witnesses, there's a new setting in view. Two raven-haired boys were in the front yard of a white house with a front porch. One boy was taller and wearing only jeans as the shorter wore a green polo t-shirt and cargo shorts. The taller boy sized himself up to a standing dummy. By the smaller boy was a large yellow mouse with a lightning bolt for a tail.

"Come on, Ash!" the younger boy called out. "Let's see that new move of yours!"

("No pressure!") the mouse squeaked. Ash had a new move? Well, we haven't seen anything too spectacular yet. Ash cocked his arm back and began to focus. Suddenly, his fist began to form ice, the hand freezing the further he concentrated. ("What's going on?") The boy studied the stance, figuring that it was a move he's seen a thousand time.

"Ice Punch, Ash?" Instead of replying, Ash continued his concentration. That's when sparks of electricity zipped around the same arm as the ice. Now the two were wondering what this move could be. "Wait, so it's a combination of Ice and Thunder Punch?" Not quite. Something else lit up: his leg. He had frozen and shocked his arm and had white orbs orbiting his leg. Oh, hold on! Ash's other leg was lit up...yet Ash showed no reaction. Did he want his legs and arms to be covered in light, cold and electricity? Set, Ash dashed at the dummy and fired his arm. A crushing right cross bashed the dummy in the chest. The dummy had icicles sticking out the back and sparks radiating from the front. Then, Ash yanked his arm back fiercely, sparks acting like a rope and making the dummy a giant yo-yo. The dummy was pulled back to Ash who leaped up and turned to a side. He fired his foot forward just as the dummy was close. KABLAM! Head shot! Ash nailed a high kick into the face who went spiraling into the fence with devastating force. The dummy nicked the top of the flat-head fence and bounced onto the street. The boy and mouse weren't in awe but in fear. Ash displayed unique strikes on the dummy that didn't appear to be possible. "How...did he do that?"

("I-I don't know!") Ash reset himself and returned composure. He started to examine his attack.

"Maybe that was a little much," he surveyed. You think?

"What was so little about it?" the boy argued. Well, at least it wasn't alive for starters. "How were you able to summon Hidden Power?" Ash learned Hidden Power? Ash thought about the feat with his feet.

"Remember last week when May was working out with her Combusken?" The boy dug into his memory back to recall last week.

"Yeah, she had Combusken use Fire Spin and had the flames hoop around her like a hula hoop." Ash nodded to the boy's correct recall.

"Well, it so happened that I ran into Gary a little while back. He demonstrated controlling a power by having multiple Shadow Balls circle his arms. I felt the power but instead of showing his strength, he relented. He offered a pointer and left. Despite not showing off, I could tell that his power is unreal. As for the Hidden Power, it was...just by accident." Okay, so the Hidden Power was random but encountering a friend is usually good. Learning a control power to a certain part of the body...that's a skill of great concentration.

"That's cool but aren't you and Gary on opposite terms? You two are rivals." So much for friendship. He could go on but panting broke their conversation short. The boys and mouse turned to see Delia, Sakura and Mr. Mime arriving and out of breath. And yes, the cake was still intact. "Mom?"

"Sakura!" The boys raced back to the girls to know if they're okay. Max and the mouse huddled by Sakura while mother and son grouped. Wait...Max was worried about Delia and Ash about Sakura. Why switch? Slowly recovering from their escape, Delia regained her composure.

"Ash, Max," she gasped for air. "We may be in trouble!" May be? How about absolutely?

"What's wrong?" It wasn't that Ash was dumb, just uninformed.

"Some guy in metallic armor wanted your mother!" Sakura blurted. The boys were a little surprised. Why would a man in armor want Delia? "He said that he was following orders from the Ancient of Darkness." The notion that someone was ordered to mom-nap Delia began to fuel an anger but without an outlet, all he could do was bottle it.

"Well, you're safe now," Max reassured. For how long? In a flash, the knight showed up. Not good. All turned to the green knight, knowing that trouble never left them.

"Resistance is futile," the knight uttered an ultimatum. "Come with me and no one gets hurt." Not on Ash's watch...until he exposed the sword. Max got scared pretty easily.

"He's got a sword!" he shouted. Ash stood firm, not phased by the blade. Dude, one hit could be fatal.

"So you're the one who wants Mom, huh?" he questioned. "If you want to battle me, let's see your ID." Ash wanted to prove that the knight wasn't a registered Battler. Instead of showing identification as a Battler or proving Ash's belief, the knight raced in after Delia. Not on Ash's watch. He lassoed his arms around the neck in a snap, stopping the knight. That wasn't all. A second later, Ash began to fall backwards holding onto the knight's neck and placing his feet on the armored back. Upon landing, he pushed the knight off with his feet, flipping him off and landing face first to the pavement. Ash got onto his feet with ease while it took a little longer for the knight.

"Ash!" a man shouted. "Delia! Max!" The group turned to find a raven-haired man with a brunette young female. The man was in a brown wool spring jacket and jeans while the young lady wore red like her bandanna and shirt and tight black shorts.

"Dad! May!" Father and sister arrived. The dad got to Ash's side as May huddled with Max and Sakura. Dad was now watching the knight getting his sword trained.

"So, who's he?" Like Ash knew?

"He just wants Mom the hard way." Fascinating way to point out the issue. Dad wondered if Ash meant that the knight wanted to harm all in order to reach Delia...or possibly engage in a bit of raucous activity. Dad hoped it wasn't the latter.

"Either way, he's gotta get passed me." The father began to walk up to the knight. "I am Norman Ketchum, Grand Battler of Balance. I order you to provide identification so you can battle me or my son. In addition, my wife is not for anyone but me and my kids." Bold words from Norman. The knight wasn't so flattered.

"I am ordered to retrieve that woman on the request of the Ancient of Darkness," the knight muttered. "You will stand aside and allow me to take her." At least he's punctual. Ash heard the knight but something seemed far from kosher for him. Was it the tone of his voice?

'He doesn't sound like he's mentally there,' pondered Ash. 'It's like this Ancient of Darkness is controlling him, whoever he is.' Once again, the knight chose to fight instead of proving he's a Battler. Norman held his ground, waiting for the moment to move. The knight swung his sword down. That's when Norman strafed to his left, the sword missing him by inches. Norman seemed to have gathered some dark energy which formed an orb. The knight turned to face him. Bad move.

"Shadow Ball!" Norman chucked the Shadow Ball in the knight's helmet. KABOOM! The knight staggered but regained his footing and started to swing to chop him down. Norman bobbed and weaved through the swinging.

"Come on, Dad!" May cheered. "You got him!" Or so she thought. Without warning, a fake out of a sword strike created an opening where Norman raised his arms to tackle the knight. A spray of green gas nailed Norman in the face. He was blown to the ground.

"Was that Dragon Breath?" Ash guessed, startled at the sudden turn of events. Norman struggled to do something. Dragon Breath did more than blind him since it was in his face. The knight readied his sword once again and Norman wasn't aware. "Dad, watch out!" The knight thrust his sword. Sensing the thrust coming, Norman threw his foot in desperation and kicked the blade, knocking the sword from the knight's hands. A sigh of relief but it was about to be short lived. Despite no longer having a sword, the knight punched Norman in the gut. Norman's eyes widened from the shot. It wasn't a kidney punch. The knight's gauntlet dug into Norman and blood was spilling out like a dam. Norman began to cough blood from the mouth. The kids and Delia were horrified. No remorse, the knight swatted Norman off and allowed him to hit the concrete as he bled massively. That further angered Ash as May and Max ran to Norman's aid.

"Dad!" they cried out. Ash realized that Norman's life was in danger and had to protect the family.

"That's it!" He charged in with a burning arm. Fire Punch! With the speed, the knight didn't see Ash or his strike. The attack blasted the knight in the belt, not below. It struck some sort of emblem on the belt. That's when the knight was covered in a green cocoon of light. When the cocoon died down, there was...Yuto! Ash and his mouse were shocked to see Yuto as the attacking knight, yet he didn't know who he was. Yuto opened his eyes, still black. Ash didn't like the way he was gazing at him. 'I was right. His mind is being controlled.' The sound of sirens were a warning sign that police were on their way. That's when Yuto charged with lightning speed and blasted Ash with a shoulder tackle. He went flying into the house wall, breaking a few wooden panels. Ash reeled from the jarring hit Yuto walloped.

"Ash!" Delia screeched. She began to run for her son but Yuto quickly wrapped his arm around her throat. Delia struggled but in vain. Ash got up but it was too late as Yuto and Delia vanished in a cloud of smoke. "Ash!" Her final scream was late and Ash cleared the smoke to find nothing.

"Mom!" Ash fell to a knee as police arrived. What took you guys so long? One officer saw the serious injuries to Norman and called for an ambulance. Ash started to cry, feeling like he failed to protect his parents. "Why!" he yelped and punched the grass. Sakura and the mouse huddled over to Ash, trying to comfort the issue. An ambulance arrived in record time and strapped Norman on a gurney to be taken to the hospital. At the hospital, surgery was attempted to save Norman as the police questioned the kids to know what happened. The explanation of Yuto Sakarai seemed to give the police some sort of lead. May and Max watched on as doctors were working on a lacerated liver and abdomen. It's a miracle that he's alive.

"We lost Mom two years ago," May whined. "We don't wanna lose Dad too." Max let May collapse onto his shoulder as tears showered down his face.

"It'll be okay, May," he prayed. The hug was a sign that no matter what, May and Max had each other. Ash and Sakura watched on in concern. There was a good reason.

"I can't believe that Dad was so close to being reunited with Caroline," Ash remembered. That would be in heaven. Sakura wondered about what happened to May and Max's first mother, believing this was a repeat of what occurred a few moments ago.

"What...exactly happened to Caroline?" she asked. Ash glanced in her direction, not willing to hide the truth.

"This was the two-year anniversary of her passing. She got very sick and died in a couple of days. Pikachu and I attended her funeral, knowing how caring she was and how much she enjoyed the Beautifly fluttering over her and Dad. A few months after the funeral, Mom and Dad met and started to date. Overcoming his depression of losing Caroline and Mom tossing the ring from her first marriage because of how cowardly my original dad was at returning, the two hitched together and had us be best men. Of course, this was a few weeks before I met you." Wow. Max and May have been through a lot in their young lives.

"I wished I was strong," she continued to whimper. "I want to protect Max. My Fire Aura...My Fire Aura isn't strong enough to protect even Pikachu if I wanted!" Her cries further concerned the others.

"May." She sniffed at Ash's voice. "Listen...I'll get Mom back. My Fighting Aura is a lot better thanks to you and Dad." May was greatly concerned about Ash leaving. She was Ash's sister who cared about her family.

"But Ash, if Dad can't beat him, you don't have a chance!" Reviewing, Ash kept note that Yuto wasn't in his state of mind.

"He looked possessed. Someone is controlling that guy and whoever it is has some serious Psychic Aura or something stronger. What I need to do is find out who's running his show and he'll lead me and Pikachu to Mom." He was dead set with finding the abductor and knowing the identity of the Ancient of Darkness. That's what got Sakura thinking back. It was what Yuto mentioned a couple of times.

"It's not Psychic!" she snapped. "It's Dark Aura." It was someone who had the aura of darkness. Plain and simple. Why did Ash think it was a Psychic? Furthermore...

"It's the first Dark Aura user I can think of that can manipulate someone's mind." Max listened, thinking that it was muck darker than a simple use of the aura.

"What if it isn't someone with Dark Aura?" Max pondered. "But instead, something much darker." What could be darker than...dark?

"Max, what do you mean?" Was there something that Max knew about that could explain his finding?

"I...I don't know. Dark Aura users are more passive than Fighting or Dragon. No offense, Ash."

"None taken, young brother." That's when a blond male officer came around with a newspaper clipping. What's on there?

"Well, you're gonna love this," he huffed as he handed the clip to Sakura. The headline read "OBNOXIOUS MALE VANISHES FROM CIANWOOD CITY." Sakura silently read the article. "Eyewitness accounts match the description of the disappearing man yesterday to who assaulted your folks." This was getting stranger by the second and Ash knew he needed to find something in order to locate his mother.

"This is from the Johto Region!" Sakura blurted. "Maybe that's where your mom is." It's a start. Ash had a lead and he wasn't about to let it slide.

"How can someone from the Johto Region come here in less than a day?" Max questioned.

"That's still under investigation," the officer informed. "The winds aren't telling me much but in due time, evidence will link." Winds talking?

"Right, your aura is Flying," Ash realized. The officer nodded. "Looks like I need to get going. Cianwood City should be the first stop." He got up with Pikachu, his mouse, on his shoulder when Sakura clasped his shoulder. Ash snapped around and started at the brunette friend. "Sakura?" What could she want?

"Let me come along," she wished. "I know I can be help." Ash was a bit befuddled with Sakura's request. However, he plucked her hand and simply let it fall back down to her hip.

"You're not a Battler, Sakura. I can't let you get caught in the conflict." Sakura couldn't believe Ash could be so cold to her. Even though he had a reason, Sakura couldn't let Ash go alone.

"I know I don't have a Battler's license like you do! I still want to help you!" May and Max felt the powering confidence from Sakura and wanted to go with Ash as well.

"Yeah, let us come with!" she insisted.

"Pretty please?" Max added. Ash had enough and chose to put his foot down.

"I can't! I want you guys to keep an eye on Dad. When he wakes from surgery, tell him I'm after who kidnapped Mom and bring her home to enjoy their anniversary." With his words, he and Pikachu walked from the hospital. The city limits were in sight. "Mom...we're coming." He resumed his stroll before he heard breathing from behind. Pikachu turned, stunned to see Sakura coming from the rear.

("It's Sakura!") he squeaked. Ash twisted around as Sakura ceased her sprint.

"Sakura, what-"

"Ash, I coming with!" she roared. "No matter what you say, I'm not leaving your side!" Taken aback, Ash wanted to tell Sakura that her participation would endanger her.

"I don't want to get you into trouble. I've already got enough with Mom's kidnapping." Sakura wasn't about to back down.

"Really? I'm away from Li, from Madison, from Kero, from Tori...I'm far from anyone who I knew and you're the first one to find me a place to relax with Prof. Oak and Daisy. I'm going to join you to repay that favor." This was an interesting twist for Ash. Cornered, Ash had no choice.

"Fine! You can join!" Sakura smirked in glee that she was finally able to join Ash instead of caring for Norman.

"Besides, I have a promise to Mrs. Ketchum I gotta keep." A promise? Ash was dumbfounded with that extra information.

"Why didn't you tell us that from the start? I would've allowed you to join from the start." That's all that she would've said? What could she say?

"I thought you wouldn't believe me. Misty did talk about how headstrong you act." Ouch! Considered headstrong really got Ash upset. Maybe his headstrong attitude could help. Now, Ash, Sakura and Pikachu were off to the Johto Region in search of Delia. Speaking of, the darkness setting appeared. Delia was coming around in the cage...where Washu was stored.

"Well, nice of you to join me in Silver's chamber," she grumbled. Delia glared blankly at the pink-haired scientist. "Hey, you're not the first person to give off a blank gawk. Miss Ancient saw my use of technology and snagged me away from Tenchi to create a machine for her." Delia looked away and found iron bars which she ran to and clutched it, shaking it to try and loosen the restraints. She wanted freedom.

"Get me outta here!" she bellowed a cry. "Please! Get me out!" Good luck.

"It's no use." Delia jerked to the Juraian scientist. "Soon enough, your youth will belong to the Ancient of Darkness. Hell, I don't know who she is." And how long has she been prisoner? Delia's time was running out. Ash and Sakura had to hurry and find Delia before it's too late.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED...


	3. A Battler's Vow

_Chapter 3: A Battler's Vow

* * *

_

The battle against Yuto kept replaying in Norman's subconscious mind. The way he fought and the result, the moment where he felt the gauntlet skewer into his stomach made him cringe in pain. The armored Yuto pulled out his heart, showing it to Norman as he began to close his eyes...only to open them inside intensive care alive. May and Max were glad to see Norman still with them after the injuries he suffered in that fight with the armored kidnapper. "Dad!" they shouted in glee. Tubes through his nose, arms in a splint and a tube under his blanket, Norman was pretty groggy from his battle with Yuto.

"May..." he weakly murmured seeing his kin okay. "Max..." Max dove onto his father, thankful that at least he's responding.

"Max, not so rough!" May warned. Hey, don't blame him after what happened. Norman suddenly noticed that Ash and Delia weren't present.

"Where's Mom...and brother?" It was a perilous issue that Norman wouldn't like and May and Max knew it. They could lie and say that Ash was keeping Delia safe at home...but even they knew how precious Delia was to him.

"That armored man took Mom," Max whimpered. "Ash and Sakura began to chase him over in Johto." Norman knew that the strength with the armored warrior was powerful and Ash was still working on his aura abilities. He started to rise up despite the wounds he suffered, In a snap, May and Max snagged Norman in an effort to control him. "Dad, don't!"

"You're hurt!" May pleaded as well. Finally, the convincing of his kids...and the wound proved too much for him to to sit up, let alone chase after his stepson. By now, the two rescuers were about to reach the Johto Region. The good news for Norman was that he was about to see more visitors.

"Is he awake?" a female voice echoed into the room. From the doorway, two youngsters entered. One was a tall tanned male brunette with spike-pit style hair while the other was a redhead female about a foot shorter than the new male.

"Brock," Norman weakly welcomed. "Misty." The sight of these two brought a smile on his face.

"Hey, Norman," Brock greeted. "We heard about what happened." What happened was Norman got thrashed around. "How are you doing?" Norman got sad. Delia and Ash were missing.

"My bride's been kidnapped and Ash has gone out to find her." Brock and Misty were horrified about the events involving Ash and Delia. For Norman to be injured, Delia to be captured and Ash to be on the hunt, Brock and Misty realized trouble was bound without knowing that...

"Even worse is that Miss Avalon is with him," May pointed out. Miss Avalon being Sakura. Fear grew among the two. Ash going after Norman's attacker could not be good news. Out in the lobby, Misty and Brock got the whole story from the siblings and allowing Norman to rest.

"And that's why Ash is bent on seeking her out," Max finished. Despite knowing the details, the ponytail redhead couldn't shake how a Battler of Norman's caliber would be trounced to horrifically.

"Considering that Norman's one of the great Grand Battlers, this is really unusual," Misty mulled. "But why would someone just kidnap Mrs. Ketchum out of the blue? Something doesn't make sense." Then, she recalled the fight. "Then again, why didn't Ash use Pikachu?" That was a highly debatable issue.

"Misty, Ash knows about using Pokémon in a battle," Brock explained. "As a Battler in possession of a Pokémon, he can only use Pikachu if his opponent is using a Pokémon as well. He has the Battlers' Guidelines tattooed to his heart." So because Yuto didn't have a Pokémon, Pikachu couldn't stand up and shock Yuto even if given permission. "So I completely understand why Ash couldn't use Pikachu in defending his mother." However, Misty reviewed the tale and wondered if maybe the Guidelines had some sort of anomaly.

"But you said the attacker never produced a Battler's license. Wouldn't that overrule the Guidelines?" A unique observation of the Battler's Code of Conduct. Max thought about it, believing that Ash could have used his license on him and be a vigilante. That's when he remembered what Ash observed during his turn at Yuto.

"Perhaps he did but because he was under some sort of hypnosis, he couldn't produce it," he theorized. Could Yuto really be a Battler? "That's possibly the reason Ash didn't use Pikachu." All the warning signs were there and still, Ash couldn't break the Guidelines, whether in fear of retribution for an illegal battle or something more serious. The two teens began to see Ash's thought process and why he held Pikachu back.

"I know that Ash isn't the brightest bulb in the lighthouse but there are those times which he sees more than what the naked eye shows," Brock pondered. "Say, where are Ash and Sakura going?" Max remembered the article about Yuto's disappearance.

"Cianwood City. The article the officer presented was believed to be linked to Mom's abduction." Even on that note, what could Misty and Brock do to keep their good friend safe? Meanwhile, Ash, Pikachu and Sakura arrived in New Bark Town, according to the sign. They were partly on the way to Cianwood City. The nostalgic feeling enveloped Ash.

"Kinda wish I came back here on different terms," he murmured. Pikachu agreed to what he meant. Sakura kept thinking back to the short fight with Yuto.

"There's something I don't understand, Ash," she spoke out. "You had Pikachu and he could have helped out." Oh boy, not this again. Acting as if this was new to her, Ash chose to clarify that ruling the way he learned.

"Sakura, using Pikachu to attack that guy would violate the Guidelines of the Battler." Even though she was starting to understand, she had doubts that Ash complied with the regulations.

"But he never had a Battler's license! He was fair game!" Was he really fair game to use Pikachu?

"Maybe he did but was under that spell and never acknowledged anything any of us said." In a sense, his actions were not of his own but of someone else. Sakura now believed that Ash faced off against a Battler and didn't want to take a chance on saying he didn't. "We've got a long way to go in order to reach Cianwood City." The group proceeded on, unaware that the Ancient of Darkness was viewing them.

"_**Hm..." **_she hummed. **_"The young boy is on his way to Cianwood."_** This began to trouble the evil mistress. _**"He cannot be underestimated. He's after my prize and I will not have it absconded." **_If this ageless woman had a face, she'd be grinning. **_"Perhaps some of my pets can provide some entertainment." _**Out of the blue, shadows began to transform. Taking shape, these shadows established color. Some turned to black round creatures with short arms and legs. Some turned to blue bats with huge mouths. _**"Now my shadow Pokémon, take care of these youths! Protect the fortress until my youth's returned!" **_The shadow Pokémon bowed before they became shadows and dashed off. _**"Let's see if this Battler has what it takes. In one week, there will be a solar eclipse. That will become the moment my sacrifice becomes the key to eternal youth and power." **_A solar eclipse? Was that why she hasn't taken Delia's youth? She's waiting for an alignment of the sun and moon. **_"Yuto!"_** On cue, the summoned loner emerged, still incumbered by the spell.

"What is thy bidding?" muttered the armored man.

"_**You will accompany the Shadow Gengar and Golbat to the son of the sacrifice. He is completely short-minded to search for her here on Mt. Silver." **_Yuto obeyed. Why couldn't he, he was possessed. That's when the Ancient remembered a detail. **_"Oh! Before you depart, I have a present to award you for capturing her." _**Out of the darkness came a card. Yuto snagged the card from the air and placed it in his pocket. _**"That is your Battler's license. This way, the boy will not suspect anything wrong." **_So Ash's intuition was off. Ash had ample opportunity with Pikachu but his own servitude to his Battler's training. However now that Yuto has a license, he can legally battle other Battlers. With his new accessories, Yuto excused himself in pursuit of Ash and Sakura. The darkness breezed Delia with bone-chilling shivers back in the dungeon. She shook from the combination of fear and cold. Let's face it, all she had on was a blouse, long skirt and slippers. Washu on the other foot was in a long sleeve sweatshirt and baggy shorts she stuffed. Sure she had nylon pantyhose over her legs and fuzzy slippers but anything lower she wasn't feeling. What she was feeling could be related to a Rubik's Cube.

"I don't get it," she scowled silently. "I built a machine to loiter around?" From her perspective, she was forced to build a statue. "Why did she hired a mad scientist of 700 years to build it?" Someone was left out of vital information. Delia had a hunch about why.

"You know, there's a solar eclipse this week," she backtracked. "Maybe she's waiting for that moment when the sun is hidden behind the moon." Washu was fascinated...and she's the mad scientist!

"There's a solar eclipse this week? How do you know?" What was her big secret? Did she go to college? Was she an astrologist?

"It's was mentioned on the news." Well, that's one way to get information. Before the ladies could relax, a snicker echoed from outside the walls.

"_**For my sacrifice, you must be well educated," **_the dark one sneered. **_"Tell me, why does this young one provide such great quantity of intelligence?"_** Delia wasn't sure if she should reply or keep her high mentality a hush-hush. Then again, her grit at the veil of black mist was transparent to the fear she was gripping with.

"Cel- Celadon University!" A college grad. The ancient one snickered more, intrigued with where she established her intelligence.

"_**A great university. If not for living for more than 20 centuries, I would enroll as a professor, myself. Same could go for the 700-year-old kid behind you." **_Must she mock Washu's age just because she's older than her? Hearing the lengths of time, Delia was rather perplexed.

"Whatever happened to turning 18 declares you an adult?"

"_**Take note that I've absorbed many youths over the beginning of the aftermath of the human's war with Pokémon. I was one of the original 17 Masters of Elemental Aura alongside my brethren. After the war, we began to teach the humans what it's like to befriend these creatures and I had more followers than any of the other Aura Masters which made them suspicious of me. The Dark Aura... they were afraid of what they imagined as manifestation with the Dark Aura. To establish their investigation, they exiled me to this fortress in Mt. Silver." **_She was going on and on but Washu heard enough.

"Geez, tell us your life story while you're at it, come on!" she snapped in boredom. The ancient one growled in anger before a blast of force shoved Washu into the wall. The impact was so fierce, a large crevice was left in its wake. She wasn't. She was out. Delia came to her aid in an instant.

"_**I will not allow interference. I will banish you now that you've completed my device." **_Suddenly, a shadowy cloud engulfed Washu. It dissipated and she went with it. Delia was frightened well. What could she do?

"Before you take my youth, at least tell me your name," she wished. The veil of darkness began to retreat. At that instant, a strand of blond hair was exposed. So it was a blond female.

"_**In due time, my sacrifice."**_ Then she left, leaving Delia all alone. Her moments of life going by the minutes. Her youth hung in the balance. Ash was on the phone with someone at a building where some Pokémon were being examined by a few nurses in kinky pink uniforms and pseudo-ballet shoes.

"Thanks, Falkner," he accepted...what exactly? "We'll meet you there." He hung the phone up. They were in luck...at least from Ash's smile. "Falkner said that we can borrow his Pidgeot on our way to Cianwood City. We do need to reach Violet City, first off." Sakura breathed a sigh of relief. Pretty good reason, too.

"That's the next town over," she remembered. "We should be able to make it there by curfew." They had time to plan the trip but they weren't going to make it there that easily. After Pikachu was checked upon, the trio banned together on their way to Violet City. They were unaware that their trip was actually taking them farther from Delia. That's when Gengars and Golbats blocked the way for the heroes. Needless to say how surprised they were in finding these creatures.

"Gengar...and Golbat?" It seemed out of character for these two groups of Pokémon to suddenly strike. To Ash, this was a perfect opportunity to warm up before rescuing his mother. "Okay. Are you ready, Pikachu?" Pikachu was ready alright. The battle was about to begin when Yuto showed up from behind the shadow Pokémon. Spotting the group, trouble was brewing.

"We meet again," he murmured as he pulled out his license. To Ash, his suspicions were correct. However, the three were unaware of the real deal that Yuto was given a forged license. He flicked it to Sakura who now learned of his identity.

"Yuto Sakurai, huh?" she read. Yuto and Ash eyed each other, the weight of rivalry beginning to build. Who would come out on top in this battle?

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED...


	4. Strikes of the Shadows

_Chapter 4: Strikes of the Shadows_

* * *

Yuto has his Battler's license, Pokémon and now was facing off against Ash. Yuto had a clan of Gengar and Golbat ready to pounce on Ash, Sakura and Pikachu. Ash better have more Pokémon at the ready if this was going to be a fair match. Despite the disadvantage of less Pokémon than his opponent, Ash grinned as if he knew something Yuto didn't. It's still blatant considering that Yuto was still under the Ancient of Darkness' spell. "Ash, you better have more than Pikachu on board," Sakura warned.

"Relax, it's all in the bag," Ash confidently scoffed. "So, how do you want to do it?"

"Best-of-Three," Yuto dealt. "I'll use a Gengar and Golbat each." Way to be upfront about it. Ash wasn't too worried about his plan. Three rounds seemed fine to him until he left out the third pairing should it get to Round Three.

"Are you gonna use another Gengar or Golbat?"

"No. The third round will be between you and me." Ash was ready.

"Alright. I win, you tell me where you stashed my mom." What if Yuto wins? Ash reached back to grab a red/white marble. Yuto was the first to make a move.

"Fly forth, Golbat." Golbat came forward. Ash thought Yuto would use Gengar but seeing Yuto's mistake, Ash turned to his partner.

"Well, thanks for making the first move. Pikachu, you ready?" Pikachu was ready to take Golbat down and hopped forth. "Tell ya what, I'll let you have the first move."

"Very well." Sakura wasn't liking the idea of allowing Yuto the first strike and not just for the fact that Yuto just happened to have Pokémon. Her eyes picked up something weird about Yuto's army. A veil of eerie violet coated the Gengar and Golbat. It didn't look right.

"Ash, there's something about those Gengar and Golbat that's giving me a bad sense," she whispered. Ash looked hard but he didn't see anything wrong. Sure they appeared out of nowhere but that's all he figured. Still, he didn't want to doubt Sakura's suspicions.

"Are you sure?" Sakura knew what she saw, but she had no visible proof.

"Just be on your guard." Ash nodded. 'Something about that veil is giving me a bad feeling. I want to use my Clow cards...but I don't wanna give Ash an advantage.' Little did she know how right she was. Those Pokémon were shadows created by the Ancient. Yuto made the first move as Ash promised.

"Bite!" he commanded. Golbat's fangs were stretched as long as its mouth. Ash's turn.

"Pikachu, use Iron Tail into Golbat's mouth!" he ordered. Into the mouth? This should be good. Pikachu's tail started to glow white. He swung as it jawed down. CRUNCH! Golbat bit down on Pikachu's tail...but Golbat got the worst of that exchange. Golbat's fangs were chipped and broken. Pikachu's tail stopped glowing but it wasn't damaged. "That was perfect!" Ash planned that? If you're a Ketchum, anything's possible.

"Supersonic!" Golbat snapped out of it's busted attack and began to shout. Sound waves raced at the little mouse.

"Use Quick Attack to dodge it!" Pikachu leaped clear of the disorienting attack.

"Supersonic!" Golbat fired another Supersonic attack. It's forcing Ash to be on the defensive.

"Agility! Don't let Supersonic get ya!" Pikachu was moving around, each Supersonic wave wide of the elusive target.

"Wing!" Ash rose an eyebrow in confusion. Was it Wing Attack or Steel Wing? Golbat came down, aiming a wing at Pikachu. No glow? Wing Attack!

"Use Thunderbolt on yourself!" Why? Pikachu wanted to question Ash's order to shock itself but knowing his partner, he's going to the bank and depositing any old and boring strategy. Pikachu began to shock itself just as Golbat was in range. BAM! ZAP! Golbat was shocked when it landed the Wing Attack. So that's what Ash was chancing on. "That should do it! Wing Attack on a Pokémon covered in electricity will do double damage on the user!" Golbat and Pikachu separated and Golbat was still feeling the effects of the counterstrike.

"Drain!"

"Oh, no you don't! Let's wrap it up with Thunderbolt!" Pikachu fired another Thunderbolt, tasering the Golbat. After that shock, Golbat had to be finished...but Golbat continued to fly. Ash was in dismay. "What?" After all that, Golbat was still up. "That's some serious level Golbat's in. I'm surprised it's not a Crobat." He didn't really know that the Golbat was enveloped in the shadows.

"Supersonic!" Using Supersonic again had Ash thinking he was trying something.

'Why does he keep relying on Supersonic?' He got a good look over at Golbat, noticing the chipped fangs. It finally dawned on him. 'Ah! The missing pieces of the fangs! He's using the missing pieces to his liking where his Supersonic attack is wider.' It got a bit worse. RING! Pikachu was nailed by the Supersonic. Ash cringed. Supersonic is meant to leave the opponent disoriented and confused. Suddenly, Pikachu stood up, successfully fighting off Supersonic's effects. Ash was delighted to see Supersonic fail. 'Of course, a wider target reduces the effect. Not something I planned but it works.' "Okay, what do ya say another Thunderbolt to end this?" Pikachu was ready to act. One more Thunderbolt fired, striking Golbat. It did the job. Golbat was flat on its back and unable to move with swirls in its eyes. Defeat. Pikachu won. "Way to go, Pikachu!"

("Yeah, I showed it!") Pikachu cheered himself. Now Ash was up one to zip. Sakura was impressed. Despite battling a shadow Pokémon, Pikachu was able to take it out. Another Golbat picked up his fallen brethren, hoping it would recover.

"You're tough," Yuto complimented. "No wonder other Battlers find your skills with Pokémon difficult to match." Ash smiled, knowing that he was on Yuto's good side. "Let's start Round Two. Gengar, step forth." One Gengar confronted Ash and Sakura. Pikachu wanted to battle this Gengar as well but he knew the rules. He chose to fall back and allow another Pokémon to come forth.

"Here's my moment," he braced as he threw his Pokéball. "Noctowl, I choose you!" The ball opened and revealed a yellow owl with reddish wings. Sakura rose an eyebrow, wondering why Ash would have a flying and psychic type which are strong against a fighter like him.

"Is it alright if I ask you something?" she asked. "Why do you have something like that in your arsenal? Don't you have Fighting Aura?" Ash smirked. He knew why.

"I train them, they train me." Not the likely response but oh well.

"Lick!" Yuto ordered. Gengar fired it's tongue out, hoping to give Noctowl a little tongue action. No, people, nothing sexual. Noctowl flew up and out of the long tongue's range.

"Let's give it it's tongue right back. Confusion!" The feathery eyebrows were glowing blue along with the eyes. Suddenly, Gengar's tongue was glowing blue and no longer in control of what should remain in its mouth. That's when some sort of force yanked the tongue and wrapped it around Gengar like a mummy. Talk about a new meaning of being tongue-tied.

"Shadow!" To Ash, there was one attack he knew with Shadow and that was Shadow Ball. Unfortunately, it wasn't attempted. Gengar retracted its tongue when a plume of toxic black smoke billowed into the battle. Ash, Sakura and Yuto realized the smoke and took defensive positions. Yuto whipped out a green card and pointed the face to the sky. "Henshin!" Yuto was covered in a flash of light and before long, he was back in the metallic armor which intimidated the Ketchum family. Noctowl flew high to avoid the smoke altogether. Ash squatted and concentrated on his energy. A veil of swirling transparent aura provided space. Pikachu began to use another Thunderbolt but used it as a shield like with the Golbat. Sakura held her arms out to see if a white veil would help her. That's when she remembered the staff she had. She could use it.

'At least I brought my whole deck,' she thought as she pulled a little key with that same star as the staff she used when Delia was by her side. She had to act before the smoke reached her. She began to chant. "Key of the Star, with powers burning bright, reveal the staff and shine your light! Release!" The key became a ball of light then the staff. Now that the staff was in her hand, she pulled out a card with miniature tornadoes. Underneath was the word, "THE WINDY." She tossed it up and got her staff underneath it. "Wind, blow away the evil!" The winds did what Sakura requested. The smoke was blown fiercely away from the sight, releasing the engulfed Battlers and Pokémon...and some other bad members. A man, woman and white cat emerged, startled and surprisingly unaffected by the smoke. The female with wavy blood red hair wore a violet mid-drift shirt with a red 'R' on it, violet skirt and black thigh-high boots. The male with dampened blue hair donned a green uniform with that same red 'R' on it. The third was a cat with a gold oval coin wedged in it's forehead. The redhead was not pleased about having smoke blown her way.

"Hey, some of us don't like smoke in our lungs!" she snarled. The fact that she was upset at the was a bit appalling.

"Excuse me?" he roared back at them. "You're the ones blowing smoke in our faces, Team Rocket!" That would explain the red "R" emblems.

"Then let's blow back trouble, you should have been prepared."

"Make it double, it's quite a plan we dared." the blue-haired man spoke.

"An evil as old as the galaxy..."

"...Sent here to fulfill our destiny!"

"Meowth, don't forgo me!" the cat cheered.

"To denounce the evils of truth and love..." the redhead continued.

"...To extend our reach to the stars above!" promised the blue-haired.

"Jessie!"

"And James!"

"And Meowth is the names!" the cat finished introductions.

"Whenever there's peace in the universe!" Jessie continued more.

"Team Rocket..." James named.

"...Will be here..." Meowth rambled.

"...To make it worse!" they shouted in unison. Where did they come up with that motto? An elementary school play?

"Remind me to find a writer for your motto," Sakura reviewed. Jessie wasn't one for criticism like that.

"Excuse me!" she snapped. "That is a tradition to perform our motto as we steal your Pokémon! Now, if you don't mind, we'll take Pikachu from you!" Ash just smirked, almost thrilled at this new bother. Yuto wasn't so kind.

"Why must you interrupt our battle?" he groaned as he pulled out his sword. Jessie wasn't intimidated but not the same story with the other two.

"My, that's quite a blade on you. Too bad it can't stand up to my poisonous attributes." It didn't upset Yuto. How can he? What he did was interesting: he removed the hilt of his sword and reinserted it with a 90-degree twist. Was it still a sword?

"Zero Gasher, Bowgun Mode!" The sword...sorry, crossbow-like weapon grew a bit. It fired numerous bolts at the Rockets. Jessie wasn't worried and here's why.

"James, you got my front, right?" James did as he whipped out...a green whip. In one crack, James knocked all the bolts from the sky. It left Ash a little impressed.

"Okay..." he muttered. "That...was good." Sakura and Pikachu twitched nods to agree.

"Leave these ignorant fools to me," Yuto advised. "We'll meet again." Ash would let Yuto take care of Team Rocket but a question still lingered.

"What about my mom? Can you tell me where she is?" He could but there was about to be a reason otherwise.

"I cannot because our battle was interrupted, therefore the requirement for your answer cannot be granted." An ugly setback. Hm...maybe the Ancient of Darkness did more than take control of Yuto. He's...more polite. Of course, we knew rather little of him who seemed rather hissy in front of a man who argued about his overexertion of sugar for his coffee and how he belittled the Ancient one before she took control of him. Sakura chose to take the advice.

"We should let him rid the Rockets," she listened. "I'll provide the escort. Fly! Spread your wings and send us to the sky!" She had another card with a long necked bird and the words "THE FLY" underneath. Suddenly, the staff grew wings and big ones to boot, making Noctowl jealous.

"You're not going anywhere!" Jessie roared. "Not with Pikachu!" She threw a fishing net at the mouse but the Golbats blocked the net, sacrificing their freedom. Ash could thank the Golbats but he needed to get clear of the scene. Yuto was ready to help.

"Shadow Rush!" he commanded. Ash heard the call but wondered what it was. Gengars were shrouded in a violet veil. Riding on Sakura's staff to escape and Pikachu on Noctowl, Ash watched the Gengars barrel at the Rockets in a stream of purple.

"Impressive but not good enough," James sneered as he tried to whip away the Pokémon. But the whips missed! All three of the Rockets were struck with the Shadow Rush technique explosion. BOOM! Team Rocket was sent flying.

"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!" they cried in unison as they departed the scene. Sakura flew off with Ash and his Pokémon as Ash watched, that Shadow Rush starting to concern him. Yuto and the Shadow Pokémon gazed at the trainer/opponent, knowing that soon there will be a rematch. As the sun began to set, Sakura realized that their trip to Cianwood City would be delayed until morning. Ash wondered about why Yuto let him go instead of fighting him to the death. Sure, blame Team Rocket for intruding in their battle but even the Ancient of Darkness wasn't pleased about the decision of letting Ash go. It would jeopardize the mission to her.

"_**You let the boy escape?"**_ she snarled telepathically. Yuto bowed his head in forced shame.

"I'm sorry," he mulled. "I need to rest." His body must have been exhausted. "Used a lot of energy to control your shadows." Was that expected with Shadow Pokémon? Ash and Sakura flew over the forests and paths on their way to Violet City, hoping to rendezvous with Falkner. Ash was still distracted with that Shadow Rush attack and how it easily decimated Team Rocket. Sakura was thinking back to when Yuto first met them to injure Norman and capture Delia.

"You know, I think I know the real reason why you didn't use Pikachu when he came and took your mom," she opened. Busted out of his deep thinking, Ash wondered what was on her mind.

"What do ya mean?" he questioned. "I told you that I can't use a Pokémon on a human." He may still be sticking to his story but Sakura knew better.

"No, I know better than to think you were just following the Battler's Guidelines. You knew that Pikachu's electric attacks and his Iron Tail would not be effective on him in that armor he wore." That stunned the heroic Battler and shamed him. He thought that he wasn't strong enough to save his family.

"Are you... Are you implying that...that Pikachu's weak?" Sakura shook her head, disbelieving the concept that Pikachu was weak.

"He's not weak...you're...wise. If you had Torkoal or Cyndaquil...or Charizard, it would be a fair fight." Interesting output. For Ash, being one for weaknesses wasn't in his dictionary but knowing types did help. That's when he added his two cents.

"Now that you mentioned it, I have another reason." Sakura turned to hear what Ash had to say. "I don't like to hurt people. Yeah, I have the Fighting Aura but blowing up on someone else is never me. I came to realize it after Caroline died. I realized how frail we humans really are. I know that no one can live forever and want everyone to live full lives." Ash, that was...touching. Sakura smiled on Ash's honest behalf. To harm someone else wasn't his style.

"Sorry to doubt you but no one's born with a golden heart, not even you." Pikachu laughed at Sakura's little tease. Ash smirked at her humor but resumed his grit at finding his mother. He knew she was held somewhere. Soon enough, they entered Violet City. They stopped by a Pokémon Center where Pikachu and Noctowl were given subsequent treatment. Calling the hospital, Ash saw Norman awake. Though he wasn't particularly happy about Ash going on this trip, he understood effortlessly why he had gone out.

"At least you're recovering well, Dad." Norman, still healing after his bout with Yuto, lifted a smile.

"Hey, it's thanks to you that I was spared more damage," he praised. That's when Ash recalled Yuto's final move.

"Say, Dad. I was wondering if you knew what a specific attack was." Norman was interested with what Ash was going to address.

"I guess I can answer. What attack are we meaning?"

"It's called Shadow Rush!" Norman's heart skipped. He wasn't sure if he heard his stepson right.

"Shadow...Rush?"

"Yeah. I thought as a Grand Battler, you'd know some of these moves." Now, Norman was in deep thought. Something about Shadow Rush wasn't rubbing him the right way unlike the nurse moisturizing his arm with rubbing alcohol to draw blood.

"I heard of it before but I don't think I've ever seen it displayed and for good reason." Ash had to wonder what the reason is. Was it a move that was so strong?

"What's wrong?" Norman started to feign for an answer...and maybe the syringe entering his skin was contributing.

"Where are you right now?"

"Violet City. Sakura and I-"

"Head to Ecruteak City. I'll contact Morty and let you know about your arrival." Ash wanted to check on Cianwood City but realized that perhaps Norman was onto something.

"Morty knows what that attack's all about. Okay, I'll let Pikachu and Sakura know about the change of plans. You take it easy and...try not to fool around with the nurses." Ash sighed saying that. Why?

"That was when I first met you. I'm saving my fooling around for your mom, okay?" Ash huffed a heavier sigh. He wasn't sure whether or not to believe him. He hung up the phone at the same time Sakura came to the scene.

"So, what did Norman say?" she asked.

"He said that we should seek Morty over in Ecruteak City," Ash informed. "Yuto might have provided us a clue in helping us find Mom." Sakura was rather unsure but if Norman was the one who offered the advice, she might as well go along with it. She removed a card from her deck she hid somewhere discretely. It was a little girl in a tight outfit with a ruby diamond over her chest. Underneath was the text reading "THE FIGHT." A foreshadow of what's to come, no doubt.

'You're fighting for rescuing your mom. I'm fighting...for you after all you've done for me. Whether or not we saved Delia, Ash, I want to save you from your loneliness.' If that's her wish, she has the wrong card. Maybe there's a "LOVERS" card in her deck. 'Kero, Toya, Li...forgive me if I desire not to return to Tomoeda. This is where I belong.' Tomorrow, they'll know about the nature of Shadow Rush. Tomorrow, Morty will see about how to prepare to rescue Delia. Tomorrow...is one day closer to the solar eclipse. Tomorrow...is one day closer to Delia's demise by the cloud of the Ancient of Darkness. Can Ash and Sakura find Delia and save her youth?

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED...


	5. A Twisted Bad Draw

_Chapter 5: A Twisted Bad Draw_

* * *

The morning rose. There were a couple days left before the solar eclipse and Delia's fate were to meet. Ash was still finding it hard to accept Team Rocket running interference during his match with Yuto. All he would've needed was to beat him in order to know where his mom was. Yet another thing bothered him, that ability his Gengar used which he was about to learn from Grand Battler Morty in Ecruteak City. That rather frightening Shadow Rush. He woke up and entered the lobby of the Pokémon Center with his Pikachu, thankfully not captured by those morons. "Lastly, for those 'Sunny' observers, there's a solar eclipse scheduled in a couple days," a radio newswoman announced. "That's when the moon blocks the sun for a few minutes. It's been about 100 years since the last one and usually seen once in everyone's life so get out and see it but don't look directly into the sun. The best way to see the eclipse is by punching a hole through a piece of paper. There, hold it out and watch the underneath." Unique way of seeing the eclipse. Ash could care less about it if not for the real situation at hand. All that waited was Sakura. Where was she? Pikachu's ears twitched, hearing running water by the gallon.

("She must be washing up,") the mouse believed. She's taking a shower. ("You could use one, yourself.") Ash never showers? How was he able to get this girl without bathing?

"Hey, I shower!" he declined verbally. "Last night, even!" Pikachu was pretty stunned. He believed Ash wasn't one who'd take care of his own body. Guess this was news to him. The water stopped running. Sakura must be done washing up. She came out in her usual wear as Ash and Pikachu spotted her. "Relaxing shower?"

"Oh, yeah," she giggled. "So, what's the plan today?" They were on their way to Morty instead of Cianwood where Yuto vanished from.

"The plan to get a ride from Falkner's Pidgeot is still on. It's the detour to Ecruteak City that's a curve ball." Sakura nodded, remembering the conversation with stepfather and stepson. Ash was ready to get out and proceed with the rescue mission. Sakura crept out slowly, trying to keep her emotions from Ash and distracting him. Still, she signed up to help him find Delia. They soon arrived at a skyscraper with a sign reading "VIOLET CITY GRAND BATTLE ARENA." "Here we are." They entered the skyscraper and met a violet-haired man in a white Japanese robe with lavender pants.

"Morning, Ash," he greeted. "Ready to head to Cianwood?" He wasn't informed about the changes. Well, the turn of ideas did come last night.

"Actually, there's been a little adjustment, Falkner." Falkner was rather quirked with the sudden news as he began to lead the heroes to the roof.

"You're not seeing Chuck?" That wasn't the reason. "He called and said that he and his wife wanted to give you something." Well, that's nice and all but Ash had serious business.

"Tell him to deliver it to Pallet. May and Max will be there to accept it." The group got to the roof where a pair of giant yellowish pigeons with slick feathers designed like a hairstyle idled.

"Well, they're yours. Make sure you feed them when...where exactly are you going, anyway?" Sakura chose to speak for Ash on this question.

"Ecruteak City to see Morty," she replied. Simple as that. "Ash's stepfather advised." Falkner nodded, accepting the change of plans.

"Yeah, that's much easier on my Pidgeot. Okay, you guys take care." Ash and Sakura nodded before they hopped on each Pidgeot. However, Pikachu didn't want to fly with Ash. Ash noticed, a little mystified with Pikachu's choice as he hopped with Sakura.

"Pikachu?" he wondered. Sakura was a bit startled seeing Ash's partner with her. She smiled in a sense that she can say something off her chest. Falkner was ready to send them on their way.

"Pidgeot! To Ecruteak City! Fly safely!" The Pidgeot cawed in agreement as they began to fly high. Gliding off to the northwest, the flying pair sailed over forests, lakes and some small cities and villages. The Pidgeot Ash was on was two full lengths ahead of the second Pidgeot, good enough distance for Sakura not to have Ash listen in.

"You know, whether we save Delia or not, I wanna do something with Ash," she whispered. Pikachu turned to wonder what she was talking about. "Ever since he and his siblings and you helped me get situated, I began to forget more and more about my home, only remembering my Clow Cards from Kero's book he was assigned to protect." Pikachu was not getting much sense. "Guess I should explain."

("Yeah, please,") Pikachu grumbled.

"Well, it all started that day when I was watching a marathon." She started her adventure watching television. Where have we seen this beginning before?

* * *

_(Flashback/Sakura's Room, view)_

_I was watching a three-day weekend Pokémon Marathon. I saw all the episodes from the pilot to the start of the Battle Frontier saga but it was nice to see all the favorites again. One of them being "The Superhero Secret." It was funny because it had Ash snapping at Brock for the first time. "Seems like she's hiding something?" he said on the television with a Pikachu on top of his head. He looked just like you did._

"_She is!" Brock replied. Ash was stunned and turned his head to his breeder friend. "She's hiding feelings of love for her little Brocky-poo!" Ash believed Brock was wrong so bad he snapped at him with Misty and her Togepi behind him._

"_The only feeling she's hiding is the feeling that you're an absolute nutcase!" I laughed so hard I woke Kero up. He was just as yellow as you, Pikachu but had wings. Needless to say that he didn't really like the wake-up call._

"_Boy, Sakura," Kero groaned. "Aren't you the emphasis of a morning person." I slowly stopped to a giggle and turned to the guardian of the Clow Cards._

"_Sorry, Kero," I apologized. "Just laughing at how funny this show is." Kero sighed, still acting the opposite of my waking moments. He wasn't a big fan of the show._

"_You know, you should be on your guard. You have all the Clow Cards but that doesn't mean the danger's passed." It was like my vacation because all the cards were collected and all necessary threats were dealt with. Of course, I had help with Li, Rae and Madison. In a sense, I should have listened._

"_Don't worry so much. Besides, I'm meeting up with Madison for a little victory shopping." It was a couple days after we acquired the last Clow Card, meaning that there were no more risks to the humans and that Kero could resume his guardian duties. It was also a Saturday so I had a shopping date with Madison. I wanted to get out since all I had clean and dry at the time was my school uniform. The rest were hung on the clothesline to dry and haven't really done so. It was a clear sunny day outside so it was nice to step out and get some fresh air after spending the morning watching Team Rocket foil themselves time and time again. I was on my way to the mall to meet up with Madison and proceeded by slapping on my blades and dashed onward. Before long, a quick overcast blanketed the sky. I saw the weather report and it was suppose to be clear for the day and a half. It was out of the blue and I believed that it was the work of "The Cloud's" absence. I brought out my wand and "The Windy" card to dispel it. It turned out to be a bad idea. I should have used "The Erase" or "The Cloud" if only to get rid of the clouds. The winds struck the clouds...but came back in the form of a tornado. I was so surprised with the sudden turn of events that I couldn't move to clear away and got blown into the sky. The high winds were whipping me so hard, I passed out from all those whiplashes. When I woke again, you were the first to greet me. At the time, I thought Tori had found me and tried to rest me for an ambulance._

_("You okay?") you wondered. I smiled, still reeling from that mistake I made._

"_Hey, a Pikachu..." I was still wiped from Max's explanation so I wasn't in the right state of mind when I said that following. "Shock me awake. I must be dreaming." And you did just that with a Thunderbolt. The downside was that it hurt but it did wake me up. It was then that I realized you were the real deal, not some silly cartoon. "I can't believe it. You're really Pikachu!"_

_("Yeah, I'm a Pikachu. What's so special about it?") I was too giddy to realize the real issue._

"_So, if you're here, Ash has to be nearby!" You figured that I was another fan of Ash's in which you sighed._

_("...And his fame continues...") Before I had a chance to actually check around..._

"_Pikachu!" Ash called out. That's when I saw Ash with Max and May...but no Brock, unlike the cartoon. "Hey, what's up?"_

_("Just found her unconscious and wanted to be zapped.") I was delighted to see Ash that I dashed to his side with glee._

"_I can't believe I'm meeting _the_ Ash Ketchum in the flesh!" I excitedly cheered. Ash had the look of a deer caught in the headlights. "You look more handsome than in the cartoon!" May and Max glared at each other in confusion. It's like they didn't know what I was talking about._

"_What cartoon?" Ash questioned. I had to clear my fog because I was in the cartoon, not watching it...or so I believed._

"_Excuse me, but why do you have to swarm on my brother?" May asked. I didn't know at the time about May's and Max's biological mother but would soon learn._

"_Wait..." I jumped. "Ash is your brother? I thought Max is." Max would help correct me._

"_I am," he answered. "Ash is our stepbrother." Now I was really in the dark. In the show, Ash was a friend to Max and May and that Brock was also with them. Now they were brothers and sister? Something didn't make sense. "You see, it's been a little over a year since our mom..." Max was about to cry because of how much heartbreak he endured after an illness claimed Caroline. May came over to comfort the heavyhearted sibling. Ash had an idea. I found it strange that Ash would have an idea since he would be the last to turn to for ideas._

"_Why not we talk about it back home?" he offered. "I'm positive we'll understand where you came from." If there was one important item I do remember from the show, Ash was caring to a fault. I agreed and we had gone to the Ketchum's house where I learned that the show I was watching earlier that day and the world I'm in now were so different. Ash wasn't the only person to use aura but practically everyone did and with different aura types and using numerous Pokémon abilities. Gym Leaders were known as Grand Battlers and Trainers could also brawl with others regardless of if they had Pokémon to use and were regarded as Battlers who needed that license to perform such the bloodsport. I told them about where I was from and showed the family the Clow Cards, sealed away by the legendary Clow Reed but freed by my hands when Kero was sleeping on the job. I soon met with their parents, Delia and Norman. Telling them my story, Norman assumed that I was here for a reason, though I wanted to disbelieve him. The more I saw Ash training with you and your friends and the way he's been honing his skills over the months, the more he reminded me of Li but with a wild but kind heart, something Li rarely showed if at all. I also learned that most of Ash's behavior was influenced by Delia's youth when she was a wild child herself. Soon, Ash asked Prof. Oak and Gary if I could remain at his house where Gary's sister accepted letting me stay. Up until now, Ash has been so helpful with everyone, and more with stories from Delia, May, Misty and Brock. I realized that he couldn't do everything alone. That's why I'm helping him with finding Delia._

* * *

Pikachu was in awe about the tale. He realized that she wished Kero and Madison would join him but had severe compassion for Ash. ("Yeah, you've been through a lot,") Pikachu understood. ("I'm sorry that it's not the same world you saw on that show.")

"It's good," Sakura replied. Ash wasn't listening to Sakura's story but saw a stacked tower beyond the trees. Ash knew they made it.

"Tin Tower!" he announced. "We're arriving at Ecruteak City!" Sakura and Pikachu nodded and prepared to disembark. When the Pidgeot landed, the two made their way through the city to make it to a building with the sign, "ECRUTEAK CITY BATTLE ARENA." Standing outside was a dirty blond male young adult wearing a blue hockey sweatshirt with yellow squares. He saw the group approach, knowing they made it.

"Ash, hey!" he happily greeted. The trio stopped in front of him.

"Morty, long time, no see."

"Yeah, I thought you were traveling still. Come on in." They entered the arena and to an underground storage room where Ash told them about the move Yuto used on Team Rocket. "Norman knew I had the information to help you. Us Grand Battlers are an union and we keep in touch by any means necessary." That's when his mood turned serious as he dug out a scroll. "Here we go!" He opened the scroll and displayed over a table. There was a description and pictures about the move...which was one in a series of items under "SHADOW." Ash and Sakura were shocked. There was that Shadow Rush attack done by a mouse smaller than Pikachu.

"That's it!" Sakura pointed out. Ash saw it and wondered if maybe this Shadow was another attribute like Fighting or Electricity.

"Are you saying that there are 18 different attributes, not just the 17 we know?" he questioned. Morty was quick to disperse the curiosity.

"No, Shadow is the underlying technique, mostly mistaking similarities to Dark," he shot down. "Shadow Pokémon are Pokémon who's hearts succumb to the Shadows, closing off their hearts to caring trainers and Battlers. They gain strength and abilities beyond normal Pokémon and can break through Dragon and Steel-Type Pokémon." Sounded like this Shadow is a powerful technique. No wonder this was a cautionary move on Ash's part.

"It sounds legitimate to be an attribute," Sakura exclaimed.

"But there's a reason it's a forbidden talent. Shadow moves cause the Pokémon to lose control and attack the trainers and even their teammates. Several people were killed hundreds of years ago and the Aura Masters of the day abolished Shadow as an Aura/Attribute. Shadow abilities quickly faded but there were a couple of exceptions like Shadow Ball and Shadow Claw which was more Dark-Attributed than Shadow. So to hear that someone's using Shadow abilities not recommended as legal means that Shadow's all but dead." Grizzly... Team Rocket would've been killed by Yuto or they would've bit the dust. Then again, wouldn't it be a good thing if Team Rocket did die? "I believe the reason you brought up that Shadow Rush and sought me that you have information about the user of the forbidden talent." Ash and Pikachu nodded.

"You see, a Battler named Yuto Sakurai kidnapped Ash's mom, claiming to be under the orders of someone known as the Ancient of Darkness." Morty batted an eye, wondering if this was a hoax.

"I don't wanna question you but this Ancient of Darkness sounds like a lot of baloney." It was real and that the mother was in deep (censored). That's when three blackish floating figures showed up. One was another Gengar. Another was a face on a ball with purple fire coming out of it. The last was a purple fuzz with floating claws. The group turned to the others. "Gastly, Haunter, Gengar, what's up?" The haunting group were freaking out about something that only Morty could understand...and knew it was serious.

"What's going on?" Ash asked.

"They found someone at the Tin Tower. Let's go!" The group exited the arena and entered the tower which was on the other side of the city. The Ghost Pokémon led the humans up the tower. Finally...it's Washu! Man, how long has it been since we last saw her? Ash and Morty got to her unconscious side. Morty placed two fingers onto her neck, feeling bumping actions. "She's alive. Let's get her help." Morty had his ghosts carry Washu from the tower. Ash and Sakura stayed for a bit, collecting thoughts about how risky it was for Ash to have battled Yuto and the Shadow Pokémon. Only now did he realize what he faced yesterday.

"I can't believe I was this close from losing my neck against Shadow Pokémon," he huffed a relieving sigh. Sakura took a step back, thinking that Ash was going to blame her for not noticing how dangerous that battle could have been if not for Team Rocket's interference. Hearing that step, Ash jerked his curious head to her.

"I-I..." she fidgeted. "I'm...sorry for not doing anything! I...I didn't know what I needed to do!" Ash got to and placed his hands on Sakura's shoulders. Yep, she's realizing her fears being true.

"Sakura..." Sakura closed her eyes, bracing to be smacked for her errors. Here's what she didn't see or hear coming. "You warned me. That's all you needed to do at the moment." Sakura blinked. She was expecting to feel pain, not praise. "Besides, now that we know what we're dealing with, I have an idea. That is if you still have that Light on you." Figuring that he meant "The Light" that she used to escape Yuto the first time, she dug through her deck. There it was! She pulled out the said card.

"It's right here!" Ash bobbed a confirmed nod. They were set for the rematch with Yuto...but they were still clueless in knowing that Ash's mother was days away from her youth being sucked dry. With Washu found, Ash and Sakura will find out about the ploy. Will they be too late?

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED...  
(I wanna give a big shout out to the US Forces for their bravery in facing and ending the evil cowardice of Osama bin Laden and his terrorizing organizations. Although there may be plenty of terrorists in the world, this is a victory in knowing that we are part of a peace that will not tolerate acts of murder and violence directed on the innocent, regardless of their nationality.)


	6. Mount Silver Lining

_Chapter 6: Mount Silver Lining_

* * *

_(Washu's Flashback)_

_can't believe all that's happened ever since my latest debacle back home...and not the home of Jurai. I mean Lord Tenchi's home. I remember trying to infuse an ore to control the matter of cold fusion. A seemingly impossible task but I have the brain power to make it a dream come true to humans to harness the energy of cold fusion. My only setback was that I had the most unreliable hands available. Lord Tenchi was in school, Ryoko and Ayeka were fighting like they always do, Sasami was too small to handle the ore, Kiyone was patrolling the galaxy and my cloning machine was still in need of repairs. Guess who that left me with? The ditzy blond with the dark tan and the mind of an eight-year-old human, Mihoshi. Yeah, there Tenchi's dad and grandpa but I questioned their reliability as well. "Where do you want me to plug this in?" she asked about an appliance unrelated to my invention._

"_I don't need the microwave!" I yelled back without looking. Yeah, I know my way around my own laboratory, blindfolded. Not Mihoshi. No matter how many times she came in unannounced, she couldn't navigate her way through a carrot, let alone a laboratory. "Bring over the vial of CL-76! It should be on the rack by my Instant Transporter!" I should have known better than to trust Mihoshi, even if she was the last person I could turn to. If Sasami was a little older, maybe it wouldn't be such a headache._

"_This vial full of brown?" This moron...how did she even get accepted to the Galaxy Police? Just her asking the chief and in she went?_

"_That's _copper_, Mihoshi! But yeah, that's what I need!" For some brainless reason, Mihoshi snatched a beaker of liquified crystal iodine. That was gonna be needed for later. "Mihoshi, I don't need that yet!" It's only now that I regret using the word "yet." It meant for Mihoshi that I'd need it at some point. Hey, even geniuses make mistakes. I'm not afraid to admit it. She placed the beaker down on the edge of my desk and handed me the vial. While I poured the CL-76 into the compound, Mihoshi witnessed it, not even sure what I was doing._

"_You do know that your cold fusion experiment will not stand amongst top scientists." That's for them to decide when the time came._

"_Are you saying it because of hearing other scientists determining harnessing cold fusion is impossible?" Mihoshi should have known me better than that and she retracted her statement a bit._

"_D-Don't get me wrong, Miss Washu! You're an excellent inventor and your brain is more endowed than mine." She's trying to get on my good side. Not while I'm working._

"_Thanks! Human scientists don't have the right equipment to handle cold fusion as I have." Those would be words I soon regret. Mihoshi was the tool that I _didn't_ need. Remember the beaker of liquified crystal iodine? In a moment of glee, Mihoshi punched the beaker into the compound. When it crashed, the iodine began to cause an explosive reaction. Mihoshi was more mesmerized than worried of her own idiocy. "Mihoshi! Get outta here!" I shouldered her out of the way, wanting to go down with my laboratory. I don't know what happened to her but then, KABOOM! I was out and when I woke up, I was surrounded by unique creatures which I would later know as Pok__é__mon. Before long, I was guided to another lab on what I would learn to be Valencia Island in the Orange Islands and be introduced to Professor Ivy. She wore a white lab coat over a one-piece swimsuit. She did have some lovely purple hair. Sorry, no one get any ideas. I was soon in better hands...paws, fins, teeth of these Pok__é__mon with experiments. Although I was upset that I wasn't able to be with Lord Tenchi any longer, I was happy to be out of the klutz's hair...until I was enslaved by the Ancient of Darkness. I had that distinct feeling that I was in trouble._

"**_Your hands are able to create many unique inventions and may be able to construct a machine," _**_she sneered._

"_Why me? I was already enjoying a new life away from incompetence."_

"**_The time will come. As for now, you are my slave until you build a life-absorbing machine."_**_ I __fought to resist her but her shadowing abilities made it impossible to escape...and it hurt too! I surrendered and built the machine that was about to be used on Delia. What's next?_

* * *

Well, Washu, how about meeting the son of Delia...away from Mt. Silver...in Ecruteak City Battle Arena...with moments before the epic eclipse. In front of Ash, Sakura, Pikachu and Morty, she began to awaken after her prolonged sleep. "Good," Morty murmured. "The Hypnosis is wearing off." How long had she been out. Her groaning was a sign that she'd be okay but Ash wanted to make certain that she's in good hands.

"Take it easy," he said comfortably. "You've been out for sometime." Washu clasped her head, reeling from a supposed headache.

"I...I was..." she struggled to speak. "...Powerless to...stop her." No doubt her drained mentality was from her time with the Ancient of Darkness.

"Don't worry," Sakura assured. "You're safe." If only Delia was as well. While her body and spirit were exhausted, her sense of humor seemed intact if only for a bit.

"I guess I'm not back in Okinawa. Not back with Tenchi." A harsh reality that she felt like accepting from now on. No one had a clue on who Tenchi was.

("Who's Tenchi?") Pikachu shrugged. Not worried about this Tenchi, Morty assumed the reason for her weakened state.

"The Gastly used Hypnosis for a prolonged amount of time to make sure she was stabilized for when it came to treating her of fatigue and injuries," he studied. The question would be for how long was prolonged? Ignoring her condition a bit, Sakura was interested to know if Washu had seen Delia.

"I'm really sorry about the wounds you suffered but have you seen someone named Delia?" she asked. Delia? If Washu remembered correctly, she would be back at Mt. Silver.

"Yeah, as a matter of fact, I saw her on Mt. Silver," she replied. Ash and Pikachu were a bit stunned. They now realized that they were going in the wrong direction. Pent up, Ash snagged Washu's shirt collar and yanked her toward him.

"...And you couldn't save her?" he fiercely snapped. It's understandable since this was his mother. Still, Sakura and Morty yanked Ash from Washu if only to calm him down.

"Ease up!" Morty scorned. "We get that your mother's somewhere but getting upset will get us nowhere!" Hearing Morty's words sunk in and he relented.

"Guess you're right..." Hearing that Delia was her new attacker's mom, Washu started acting sympathetic to him.

"I guess I would act the same way if it was a family member of mine in trouble like Tenchi or Sasami," she compared. "You see, I was forced into creating a machine to drain the youth from a person. It only works on an eclipse and with the eclipse coming soon, your mom's time's running short. The Ancient of Darkness is no pushover, even now while her power is weak." It was a valid warning. Even though her strength was less than reasonable, the Ancient of Darkness was still a major threat. "I still can't believe that she's _that_ much older than me." No one knew the half...or even a remote fraction of the truth between her and Washu.

"You don't look that much older than the kids," Morty pointed out. Wait for it...

"Well, excuse me if I spent much of my 700 years in suspended animation!" It's been said before and said again. "She had to have been around since olden times and I've had a brief history lesson from Prof. Ivy about it." Now, questions arose, perhaps about the history and suggestion that there may have _actually_ been 18 Aura Masters and not the 17 depicted today.

"There has always been 17 Aura Masters and for someone to be alive since the Pokémon/Human War is absolutely impossible." Very unlikely would've been wiser to say but to hear that Washu's 700 years but was younger than the Ancient of Darkness would be a light way of explaining the situation. That had Ash wondering about this machine.

"Miss Scientist," he incorrectly called out. Washu turned to the one who attacked her not too long ago. "You said you were enslaved because you were skilled with machines, right?" Washu softly bobbed a bit.

"I created it for her and built it to be indestructible," she clarified. "Not even your Aura powers can dislodge it." Ash could care less about the machine.

"I'm not gonna dismember your toy. I'm gonna rescue that family member of mine. And Mt. Silver will be the moment this Ancient of Darkness will become ancient history. Sakura, Pikachu, you ready?" This was about to become the moment as many hours passed while waiting for Washu to recover. Sakura and Pikachu raced after Ash out of the Battle Arena and to the Pidgeot waiting outside. Morty and Washu stepped out to watch the children depart for the final voyage. They felt pretty silly for going in the direction away from where Ash's mother was but now, this was about to become exciting. The hours passed to monitor Washu was time that they couldn't afford to lose. The moon was orbiting to align with the sun. The Solar Eclipse was indeed moments away. So was Mt. Silver. An hour passed on the flyover but it was in reach. However, lying in wait was Yuto armored up in front of the fortress. Inside, Delia was lying on the hard steel bed unconscious. The moon was about to overlap the sun. The Ancient of Darkness watched in anxiety, the moment where the youth would be sapped from Delia and for her to dine on. Landing, Ash and Sakura dismounted the rides and proceeded up the mountainside. There stood Yuto.

"You've arrived," he lowly greeted. "The demise is upon you." Ash tossed his hat aside ready to square off against the armored superhuman.

"Tell you what, let's finish off the match we started. I'll let you have the second round." Ah, so Ash thought back to when Team Rocket interfered with their previous spite. Since Ash declared that Noctowl forfeited, it was notched one to one.

"Very well, but you'll regret your donation." He'll see. Yuto brought out his Zero Gasher Sabre out while Ash relied on his knuckles.

"Here we go!" The boys raced in and Yuto began slashing air. Ash was quick with his feet to avoid becoming a carved pumpkin. Ash grabbed Yuto and heaved him to the wall with a full body twist. CRASH! Yuto's impact dislodged a portion of the fortress and buried him in rubble. He blasted out and fired bolts in Ash's direction. The bowgun was out. Ash was known to use unorthodox maneuvers. "Time for a spin..." Ash leaped and flipped onto his hands and began to twirl on his head at high speed. The bolts were kicked out of the air, landing harmlessly to the ground. It did tear his pants, one exposing what was a bare butt cheek. Either that bolt was _way_ too close for contact or Ash was going commando. Ash broke from the spin at about the same time Yuto stopped shooting the bolts. Ash spotted one bolt with hang time. It was also at that moment when the skies began to darken. It's weird because there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Sakura and Pikachu noticed and dreaded the reason: the solar eclipse, the moon was overlapping the sun. Inside, the Ancient one viewed Delia as the machine was activated. Soon, Delia was enveloped in a shadowy cocoon. The cocoon then shot a floating, invisible tunnel and wrapped it around Darkness.

"_**At last!" **_she grinned. **_"Eternal youth and ultimate power shall be obtained! And no one will present a threat against me, not even the gods should they choose to reveal themselves!" _**Delia's youth was seeping out. Her bone structure began to weaken and brittle. Her hair turned from the brunette to a rusty gray. Her smooth skin hardened and wrinkled. She aged faster than an ordinary house fly. At least her clothes weren't touched. Ash spotted the bolt and converted a roundhouse back kick and nailed the bolt. The bolt spiraled at Yuto who didn't react fast enough. STAB! The bolt skewered into Yuto's shoulder, protruding out the other side. Yuto winced from the pain and Ash was ready to finish this fight. Yuto yanked the bolt from his arm, fighting the wound's effect. His arm suddenly had ice and lightning wrapping the arm. Seem familiar? Yuto looked to the defeat coming at his face. BAM! The strike of the ice-covered arm jolted back the armored warrior.

"Return!" Ash roared as he "yanked" Yuto back, the static making the armor act like a magnet drawn in by another. At the time, Ash's leg began to flash the light. Reeled in like a fish, Yuto was at the mercy of the Battler on a mission. Within reach, Ash mustered a knee to the buckle that he smashed before, smashing it once again. "Hidden Kick!" Ash unleashed the powerful white kick. KABLAM! Foot, meet face. Face, meet foot. The kick punted Yuto right into the wall. He was out for the count. Sakura and Pikachu came in to render first aid to Ash but he didn't need it. They needed to break Yuto's mind from the Ancient's power. Before they had a chance, Yuto reverted back to his human form.

"I've got the card to loosen the-" Sakura's words were shortened when Yuto's groans echoed. He clutched his shoulder in the pain suffered...and his eyes were pure again.

"My shoulder..." he moaned. "And head! Ugh!" Seeing the whites in his eyes, they assumed that Yuto was back to normal. He then saw the two and Pikachu, completely bewildered. "Okay, who are you?"

"Let's pass the 15 question barrage, Yuto, and tell you to go get some medical help for that shoulder," Ash ended the discussion. Yuto checked the blood from the wound.

"It's a flesh wound. I'll manage. You need to worry about yourselves." He limped away, heading back down the mountainside. Then, he stopped and turned around. "By the way, you've got one hell of a combination." His awkward, displaced smile concerned the two. With Yuto done, Ash and Sakura entered the fortress. Evil laughter bounced all over the walls and ceiling of the old structure. A sign none too pleasing. Pikachu listened and led the humans to the final battle. They entered the throne room where the machine stood...and an aged Delia laid. Ash knew it was her by the clothes she wore.

"Mom!" Delia never opened her eyes to her son. "Mom!" The calling would not go unnoticed for long.

"My apologies for what's happened to your mother," sounded the Ancient one...who sounded a lot younger. "However, she was the precise specimen for the resurrection of the eternal youth I've been cursed with. Behold!" The two turned to see a blond female, about a foot shorter than Delia. She was gowned in a midnight purple dress and an eerie violet aura spurring out. There was a secret that this female was about to uncover. "I am Agatha...the last Aura Master in existence!" Agatha cackled loudly as Ash's seething anger boiled. With her newly reborn youth, what awaited Ash and Sakura? Could the new youth of Agatha be powerful to dominate the world?

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED...


	7. Shadow Master & theTrue Aura Champions

_Chapter 7: Shadow Master and the True Aura Champions_

* * *

Agatha, the so-called Ancient of Darkness. Her youth was restored thanks to Washu's invention and the seemingly sacrificed Delia. Ash, Pikachu and Sakura were facing down who she called the last remaining original Aura Master. "At last, I can use the Shadows without the sacrifice of power like the centuries prior," she gloated. "All those years, those decades, those centuries of obtaining eternal youth and power and now I have the complete set." Delia's youth, Washu's technology, the shadows...the perfect setting.

"What do you mean 'the last existing Aura Master?'" Ash questioned. "Were you one of the original 17? Or are you the 18th, unappreciated one?" There were questions of whether the Shadow was an aura-attribute or not.

"It's both. I was the Dark Aura Master and the most disrespected of all. Let me tell you what it's like to have the highest of intelligence and the lowest of appreciation. I helped in the the Human/Pokémon war those hundreds of years ago when man poached, enslaved and murdered Pokémon for the thrill. Me and 16 other pacifists of the war listened and befriended the creatures, even developing the inner life force we all know as aura. Viewing the carnage from the Pokémon's revolt, we decided to step in. The Masters included Hikari of the Light or Normal, Gaia of the Earth, Eden of the Trees, Blazer of the Flames, Ryu of the Fists, Cleo of the Mind, Rocky of the Stone, Skye of the Winds, Nicolas of the Snow, Bee of the Insects, Phantos of the Spirits, Rex of the Mighty Wings, Trident of the Waves, Colt of the Iron, Zeus of the Thunder, Olive of the Toxins and yours truly. We 17 stopped the war that brewed from the humans and influenced the Pokémon to kill back. When peace between the humans and Pokémon was established, Hikari became skeptical of me and my aura, contesting the moral of darkness. They didn't want someone to inherit the power of darkness to use for personal game and they removed me from the team of Aura Master vie unanimous vote. Any followers I acquired disbanded after I was left isolated from the rest. I decided to reside here in Mt. Silver and every hundred years, a female youth is feasted upon and I retain my youth in exchange. It's a skill I developed during the war and therefore, I can drain the energy and live forever with it. Upon this, my desire was altered from protecting the Pokémon to world conquest, infecting the world which we all walk upon. My shadows will cloud all who walk from the elderly to the newest in existence."

Demented, enraged, delusional. She rebelled against her peers after being thumped from the elite due to ethnics of darkness. She had every right to act up in protest but taking her anger on everyone else was a line-crosser. She even kidnapped and sucked the youth out of Delia. That became the deal breaker on Ash's part. "And my own mom was the next to go? Why not some homeless person or an abandoned baby?" Oh sure, Ash, try to make her more heartless.

"Those were attempted and had horrific results." She's not only the villain but she's a scientist on top. "This time around, I don't have to exhaust power to gain the sheer dominance to overthrow your presidents, your dukes, your prime minister, your czars, your kings, your emperors. I needn't waste energy and use it aimlessly against all matriarchs and patriarchs. I have the power and skill to rule the world!" A shadowy veil vexed upon Agatha who was grinning with excitement and thrill to finally dominate all. "And I'll start with the small fries..." She formed Shadow Balls and tossed them at the three. Glowing arms akimbo, Ash swatted the Shadow Balls aside. Who or what's the small fry now?

"Hate to disappoint you but I work with Shadow Balls with my dad." Nothing got by him. Agatha wasn't phased.

"I suppose that was my warmup for what's to come. Allow me to further demonstrate." She had another Shadow Ball but instead of tossing it, she crushed it. When what appeared to be an empty hand, she flung her arm out and black lightning zipped by, Ash and Sakura dodging it at the last second. The lightning struck the wall behind them, major blast blowing with dust and debris flying passed them. Feeling that power, Ash was hindered in a little fear. "Shadow Thunderbolt. And those were just snacks compared to the feast I've prepared for you. Behold!" She materialized another large shadowy ball which was slammed to the ground. The ball splashed like water hitting a solid surface. Agatha wasn't done. She swung her arm in the air where wind blew. It pushed the dark water and created a makeshift whirlpool, striking the heroes and shoving them back to the wall. Once the spray stopped, Ash and Sakura were on their knees and Pikachu was on it's stomach. That's powerful.

"She can combine moves like that?" Sakura guessed, still stunned. Agatha snickered, acting as if there's more than that available.

"I'm rather encumbered that you haven't realized what else I possess." You mean besides the Shadows? A black flame lit in her palm, not burning her surprisingly. Her other hand spun a black tornado. This couldn't be good. She clamped her hands together, trying to combine the tornado and the flame. "No Pokémon can perform this move. Allow me to give you a flame with a major kick!" She thrust her arms out and out came a blasting stream of fire. Acting fast, Sakura snagged a card from her deck. The card had a white wing with a shield behind it. The caption read "THE SHIELD."

"The Shield! Protect us!" Suddenly, a pink barrier surrounded the heroes as the massive fire struck it. The fire bounced off and traveled in separate directions. The shield would dissipate but it did it's job and the good guys were safe. Only then did it dawn on Ash on how Agatha was so powerful.

"Of course!" he recognized. "Shadow Thunderbolt, Shadow Water Pulse, Shadow Gust, Shadow Flamethrower, Shadow Twister...because she's the last Aura Master, she's got the powers of the others in the palms of her hands." So, instead of just having the powers of Dark and Shadow, she had all the other attributes to go along with.

"Only now, with your lives nearing an end," Agatha sneered so confidently. "You realize what you are facing and how young lives will end in only moments. I can experiment with my newly reborn powers and dominate the human and Pokémon races." She has all this power circulating through her and her use was attacking two kids? Ash readied his arm to fight back.

"Well, then. Let me fight fire with fire." His fist was on fire as Agatha prepped another dark flame.

"The Shadows dominate all!" She fired her flame as Ash charged in. The dark flame came close and Sakura and Pikachu were fearing that Ash was charging in to his death.

"Well, you're right on some occasions!" He launched his punch which looked pathetic since he was yards from Agatha. However, the burning fist struck the dark flame. Ash's hot fist and the blackish fire had equal force, none gaining ground. That's when the flames mutated colors into a blue fire. As if that wasn't enough, he followed through the punch and rebounded the fire right at Agatha who was surprised to see the flame coming right back at her. So surprised, she was more mesmerized than worried. KABOOM! The impact of the blue flame jolted Agatha into the wall behind her. The devastating impact reeled Agatha so brutally, she had a difficult time finding her legs again.

"Wow! I guess after several hundred years, there are some things that differ from back then. I thought today's technology had soften the people." She thought wrong.

"Not everyone is lazy. My family's always moving around." That would explain why even Norman, May and Max were in pretty good shape.

"So you say! Looks like I may need to rely on a new tactic." She began to float into the air, practically an invite for Ash to strike.

"Pikachu, now!" The mouse performed a Thunderbolt but Agatha bounced it back. Monkey see, monkey do. Ash was zapped with the Thunderbolt and was covered in static, paralyzed. That didn't work. Agatha was ready to make her move.

"You have shown vigor and duration. I'm impressed. Perhaps your body will donate that relentless energy to me." She morphed into a blackish gas. Pikachu fired another Thunderbolt but the strike passed by, nothing done. Agatha laughed at the pointless attack. _**"It's no use, Pikachu! I may have respect to your kind but the humans will be on their knees with all the power I can obtain!" **_That's when Agatha entered Ash through the ears, nose, mouth, eyes and...his buttocks. Gross but the stench of poo failed to deter her. Ash's body was becoming black as Sakura and Pikachu watched on, wanting to make a move but not wanting to hurt Ash. She wanted to do something. That's when she pulled out a card with a lady in black and the text "THE DARK" underneath. She slid another card under "THE DARK."

'Ash,' she minded. 'I'm coming. Just hold on.' She began to concentrate on her task of ridding Agatha from Ash's body. 'Ash, you've saved and changed so many lives before and during my time with you. I may not be like you. I may not have elemental aura or a Battler's License or have a partner that I can rely on all the time. Kero...Li...Tory... Madison... give me the power to save him. Save the person that I've fallen in love for!' She muttered no words yet she still activated the magic from the cards. Two opposite colors, black and white, swirled around the room. The other card had to be "THE LIGHT." Suddenly, Sakura became the light and then covered with the darkness and entered Ash's head.

* * *

_(Ash's dream)_

_Ash was stuck in the middle of what appeared to be space and floating there without any movement. Black clouds closed in from all directions and he was as still as calm waters. **"Be encumbered in the shadows and become my puppet for domination!" **Agatha's voice roared. That's when Sakura showed up, cutting through the clouds to reach Ash._

"_**Ash, snap out of it!" **she pleaded. Ash's eyes were opened but no one's home. Sakura's feelings were about to pop as the clouds were within reach. **"Ash, ever since I've entered your life, there were things that were different like you having a new father and siblings and that you were a great Battler aside from training with your Pokémon. You've shown me that you have the determination to overcome obstacles that a normal person would not attempt. I don't wanna return to my home...because you are my home, Ash. They say that love conquers all. That's why I love you!" **Sakura then morphed back to light and softly pressed her lips onto his just as the clouds coated them both. Was it too late? That's when rays of light shone through the shadowing clouds._

"_**This...can't be! I am the ultimate Aura Master! I cannot be defeated by a nobody!" **KABOOM! A huge explosion rocked everything. Was this the end of Agatha? Or were the heroes be the victims of the ancient Aura Master?_

* * *

TO BE CONCLUDED...


	8. An Ancient Resolve

_Chapter 8/Final: An Ancient Resolve_

* * *

The smoke filled the room and clouded a sight which may have been the doom of anyone. Soon enough, the smoke was clearing and there was Ash and Sakura, her lying on top, belly-to-belly. Pikachu, clear of the blast of anything other than good, arrived to see if Ash and Sakura were alive. Only when he made it to the two, he saw that they were fine...not the way he had in mind. Sakura had a grip on Ash's head, just behind the ears and the lips were sealed together. That confession before in that dreamland seemed fascinating enough but boy oh boy! Sakura had been waiting for this moment for a while and what a time to show it. Pikachu thought this was wake-up time and used his tail to tickle them awake. Soon, both were stirred and briefly broke their kiss. ("Now's not the time to make love, you two!") he scolded. Both turned to Pikachu, Sakura offering her hand to pet it. Both got off the floor and Pikachu hopped onto Ash's shoulder once more.

"Thanks, Pikachu," Ash praised for his concern. Sakura's face was redder than before. Was it the kiss she gave to him?

"Wow, now I know this isn't the same as the show," she huffed. "Usually, you're the one getting kissed, not giving them out." Wait...Ash was the one who did the kissing? "And that was the best kiss I've had, even my dad's kiss to me is nothing." Who knew that Ash was such a good kisser?

"Blame Dad. He told me that love will find you and that an accepted kiss was a great sign of a relationship. Oddly enough, that was my first kiss." That was a gust of wind of a new direction. Ash and Sakura were so close that the two had feelings for each other and neither one realized it until now. That's when a groan echoed. The three turned to see Agatha struggling to get up. Man, won't this fight end?

"This...isn't over," she hissed. "Love conquers all, my foot. You know that my power is absolute. Nothing can overcome it." On unsteady feet, Agatha was ready to face the youngsters again. The three readied themselves for the action. Agatha thrust her arm forward...but nothing came out. The two wondered of something was wrong. Agatha tried again...with no result. To the kids, Agatha was as powerful as a toddler. "This can't be!" She tried and tried and tried again. Nothing! "I am the most powerful Aura Master! I cannot be powerless!" That's when the roof opened up. Instead of the roof collapsing on them, the roof rose and the skies split. Above as all looked on, 16 colored cloaks gazed down at Agatha. There's a very good chance those were the late Aura Masters and they were less than pleased with her.

"Could they be?" Sakura wondered.

"_**Agatha, you have betrayed the code of the Aura Martial Law for the final time," **_the one in white expressed in a feminine tone. **_"For centuries following our passing, we've observed your actions and how you've turned the war of man and Pokémon into your own personal game."_** It didn't matter how long Agatha was getting away with her crime. She got caught.

"You, Hikari, threw me out of the legion because of the element I possess!" she argued while pointing a finger at her.

"_**Wrong. Anyone who possesses the Aura of Darkness help those less fortunate to adapt to the light and provide the courage to those who can't allow a flash in their eyes. You were exiled because you offered the strength to the Pokémon in exchange of eliminating those who were recovering from the war and fed off the youth of innocent humans. You've manipulated your last experiment."**_ Suddenly, a bright light beam struck Agatha.

"There's no way I'm leaving here without a fight from anyone!" She lost to Ash, Pikachu and Sakura so she had no saying in the matter, relatively speaking. She tried once more to summon her darkness but no matter how hard she attempted, there was no smoke for her fire. "Why? Why is my aura not responding?" For Ash, the answer was pretty clear.

"It's what you're doubting," he voiced. "Love _does_ conquer all, even love from mom to son!" Really? We believed it was the love between you two. "When you sucked the youth from my mom, you sucked her memories as well! It took a little while to kick in but right now, Mom's holding that aura in check as soon as it noticed me!" Fascinating! The bond between Ash and Delia was deeper than Agatha would've care for.

"You've been alive for over 2,000 years," Sakura mocked. "You should have seen it coming!" Agatha soon had a picture of what they meant. Her aura was being held in check by the soul of Delia like a vice on a workbench.

"I lost...to kids?" she murmured. That's when she began to float upward to the sky. Despite all claims and evidence that she's powerless, she tried to fight her way to freedom. No dice. "NO!" That final cry was the last moment of Agatha. In the clouds, she began to age so fast, she went from young to mummified in a minute. Business with Agatha done, the Aura Masters turned to Ash, Sakura and Pikachu. Were they going to be punished for violating on some protective order to an Aura Master?

"Okay, now what?" Pikachu wasn't sure either.

"_**As for the three of you," **_Hikari spoke. **_"Thank you." _**They're being praised...by the original Aura Masters? What can you say after that? _**"Only the love for others would conquer the heart of Agatha of the Darkness, as you two have demonstrated. Because of our willfulness for peace, we were blinded to Agatha's demeanor. Now, those who harness the power of Darkness will use it for proper use."**_ What an honor. Ash and Sakura were grateful for the Aura Masters for this moment of gratitude.

"You're welcome," Ash replied. That's when he gazed at Delia, still heavily aged, brittle, wrinkled... "Is there anyway you can restore my mom's youth? I know it's asking much and Sakura's energy's exhausted just bailing us out of Agatha's mental takeover." Hikari huffed a chuckle.

"_**No, it's not much at all. I'd be glad to restore all of Agatha's victims, including your mother." **_Suddenly, a bright light consumed the room, blinding the three who quickly covered their eyes. The shine would last a minute. When the light dimmed, the three were in for quite a surprise. The room was filled with different people. A count of 26 young people, 13 boys and 13 girls, stirred awake. There were so many different pieces of wardrobe from ragged fabrics to fashionable gowns that describing them would take forever. They were all wondering what's going on. One of those was a baby girl who began to cry, hungry. One ragged woman picked her up in response.

"Hush, little baby, don't say a word," she softly sang. Turning away from male eyes, she began to breastfeed the infant. The baby stopped crying and fed on the breast milk offered by this new person. The revived began to meet, quickly becoming friends and some falling in love at first sight. They may be from different time periods but they wouldn't tell you the whole tale.

"Unbelievable," Ash awed. "Over 2,000 years of these people." One guy heard Ash, wondering if he heard him right?

"Excuse me but you said 2,000 years?" he repeated the portion. "Can thy pray tell when we all are?"

"Yeah, AW 2007," Sakura answered. AW? Could it mean after the war of Man and Pokémon? Most heard Sakura's answer, shocked that they were now in a time beyond their own era. Some could have been from the verge of before AW 1. One other young male would confirm it. Really young.

"Hey, it's the Aura Masters!" he cheered. The Aura Masters didn't stay long as the cloud cloaked the group in the sky. "Wait!" Nope, they're gone. "I was wondering what happened to Agatha." Dare Ash tell him? He was worried about something completely different.

"You know, I think these guys are in for a shock with the technology here," Ash pointed out. Sakura had wide eyes from the news, thinking that these people were from man-labored times and seeing all this technology would traumatize them.

"You're right," she realized. "With everything from computers to vehicles and phones a strewn, these people will take years to adjust." That's a big problem. What wasn't a problem...

"Ash!" sounded a revitalized Delia who sprinted and embraced her son in a hug. Delia was back to her young self.

"Mom!" he cried in relief. Sakura was happy to see Delia restored age wise. Delia shot a look to Sakura, inviting her over to join in the hug. Embraced, the crowd watched in awe at the reunion of the three. The crowd alerted Delia into knowing who all these people were.

"Who...is everyone?" That's a good question. These were all victims of Agatha's wrath. "And where's the Ancient of Darkness?" Ash and Sakura looked to the sky, a tall sign of her outcome.

"The Aura Masters called her back," Sakura joked. "She's not gonna be any problem." For sure. Delia accepted the news.

"Well then...why not we get the hey out of this place? Dilapidated places don't feel well to me." Let's. Everyone filed out, the young woman still clutching the little baby, into the light which some haven't seen in over a millennium. They were blinded for a bit but soon regained sight. Suddenly, a motorcycle revved to the scene. Hey, the first piece of advanced technology they've seen in awhile. On the bike stepped off a blue-haired female in a blue police uniform.

"What's going on over here?" she wondered with a scorn. "I heard an explosion and came to investigate." Delia came to the officer's side to explain the situation.

"Officer Jenny, can you send multiple doctors here? The explanation is a bit stretched but for the benefit of these children..." Using her motherly instincts, Delia was worried about the other young people and to see them treated for any injuries and illnesses. Jenny wasn't sure if she wanted to go by Delia's word. One look at the little infant had her realize, at least to her, that the mother had found and broken some sort of human smuggling ring. Yeah, the explosion was to alert an officer to the scene on purpose.

"Alright." She got on her radio. "This is Officer Jenny calling for emergency vehicles. We have multiple children abandoned at a structure on Mt. Silver."

"10-4," a man on the other end replied. "Emergency vehicles deployed to Mt. Silver." Jenny was satisfied that help was approaching.

"What about the kidnappers?" If meaning Agatha, Ash and Sakura would know. She may have absorbed the youths but the fact that she had them against their will was stark proof that she was a kidnapper.

"She's dead," Ash growled. "We tried to stop her and part of the roof flattened her. She won't be a bother anymore." It's mostly a lie but she _is _dead and _not _a bother to anyone else. Jenny seemed happy for Ash to stop a criminal in their tracks. Soon, multiple white vans pulled up with red "" on the side. More technology for the reawakened. Each van had doctors and could store an additional three children. Each were exposed to more and more technology but were starting to adapt at a rather impressive rate. Sakura was with Ash this whole time and only told him in that weird universe for that short bit. Now, with his mother present, Sakura was ready to tell Ash of his real feelings.

"Say, Ash," she called. Ash and Pikachu turned to the younger brunette, something on her mind.

"Sakura, what's up?" Looking how confident Ash stood, Sakura felt the energy that he still had, despite exhausting a lot from that battle. Her legs were trembling.-

"I-I know that it's been about a year since we first met and how you and the Ash I remember from that TV show were so different. You weren't this easily motivated, bratty behaved, confused young man. You're more self-controlled, collected and...well, informed. But there have been a few things that you and the show are together: you're brave, fierce, confident, caring, determined...there are so many qualities that-" SMACK! Whoa, instead of letting Sakura continue to compliment Ash, he took it upon himself and kissed her on the lips. Sure it was rude that he did it in the middle of what she was saying but...Sakura was enveloped in the sweet taste that Ash's lips flavored. Ash tasted her lips as well, acting as if it was a scent he's never had but one he couldn't...no, wouldn't want to let go anytime soon. Even Delia was a bit encumbered by how brazen her son was.

"Dear me, I didn't know my son was that upfront," she awed. It was just moments ago that Sakura noticed how good of a kisser Ash was. It's a pretty good bet that he topped his own kiss. They briefly broke but Ash had to be the spoil sport.

"That's what you wanted to say, wasn't it?" he guessed. Sakura turned cherry red, enthralled from the softest lips she ever embraced. It might have been what she wanted to say.

"Okay, my turn." She decided to take a little lip-lock and turn it up a notch as she not only wrapped her lips on his, she leaped and wrapped her limbs around his shoulders and waist like a boa constricting its prey. Ash mustered all his leg strength to keep himself and Sakura standing. Still, he allowed his girl to smother his face. Delia and Pikachu got their money's worth and front row seats for that action. Well, the front row seats were free. With the youngsters taken for any medical evaluations, the heroic group returned to Pallet Town. It took them a few days to reach the town, a full day at another professor's laboratory, not Oak's, to rest up. But they were back...and greeted to a homecoming. Misty, Brock, May and Max ran up to and hugged the two younger adventurers, a moment to say that they missed them. Delia spotted Norman on a crutch and raced to greet her husband. No doubt Norman wasn't 100% since his fight against Yuto. Speaking of, where's he now?

"Oh, Norman, sweetie!" she cried, thankful to be within his arms again.

"Delia!" he teared back. Both kept calling their names back and forth. It's hard to keep a straight face the way those two acted. It was like high school sweethearts away from each other for quite a long time. The kids heard enough.

"Goodness, you two!" Misty snapped. The adults spun to the aggravated redhead. "It's great that you're back together. Go get yourself a room." Yeah, you don't want to embarrass your family and friends just being back home. Wonder if they do that every time Delia comes home from work?

"Misty's right," she acknowledged. "The truth is...I wanna have another baby!" Loud gasps from the children echoed, unsure if Delia was honest with a desire like that, let alone express it out in the open.

"Whoa, talk about setting priorities as soon as you get home," Max murmured.

"Knowing that they want us to be big siblings again, I'm not sure I'm ready for such a responsibility," May muttered in shock.

"At least there's something for Norman to get his strength back since that injury," Brock stated a positive point.

"Hormones going right to work," Misty shuttered.

"I wanted to prepare for another adventure somewhere, not a baby brother or sister," Ash wished to decline. Sakura wasn't too concern, more optimistic.

"You know that's gonna be us, soon," she expressed a future moment. Ash was less ready for _them_ going at it than he was for having a new sibling.

"Not _that_ soon!" The others heard that fluster and laughed at Ash. When the adults got inside, Misty decided to pop the question that the others were wondering about.

"So what was going on about the trip to Johto and why Mrs. Ketchum was taken?" she asked. Sighing, Ash and Sakura realized that they had a story to tell...a _long_ story.

"Sure but we may need a few cups of tea to explain it all." Hearing a call for drinks, Brock stood forth.

"You bet," he volunteered. All proceeded inside where Ash and Sakura told their friends and family about the adventure which included the discovery of Yuto, the knowledge of Shadow abilities and the battle with Agatha. Max and May were surprised to learn that Yuto had a Battler's license and that he wasn't so bad. It was Agatha who was worse. An enjoyable story, including the revival of all the victims of Agatha's dark legacy, plus meeting Washu. The kids were stunned. Pikachu? It was like a bedtime story as he had taken a siesta. Misty had a question about Agatha's victims.

"Why did Agatha need so many young people just to live for so long?" she wondered. It sounded like the answer was in the question but there was more.

"Agatha wasn't only the last remaining Aura Master," Sakura answered. "She was also a scientist, studying the effects of each soul she absorbed. However, every time she stole said soul, she's drained her own abilities."

"Thus, Washu was summoned to create a machine to reserve her abilities and expand her powers greatly," Ash added on. She may have been evil but she was resourceful. Nevertheless, the kids were happy that Ash and Sakura and Pikachu returned Delia safe and sound. Heck, there wasn't a gray hair on her. "You know, I wonder if we'll be able to see them again." The kids of centuries' past? The Aura Masters?

"You wouldn't be referring to the Aura Masters, would you?" May pondered.

"Well, yeah! I would like them to give any Battler a little guidance for success in this world." That piece of idealism prompted the rest to understand.

"You know, after that meal, I bet you're willing to let off some energy of your own," Brock offered. "How about it? A Battler fight?" This was a challenge Ash wasn't about to let pass.

"Hey, you're on!" The group stepped out to see both Ash and Brock battle. To Sakura, seeing her new boyfriend compete was a huge sign of all returning to normal.

"You'd think after chasing mom throughout the Johto Region, he'd at least take a few days off to relax," May sighed. Max would argue but this was Ash.

"Even after he became our big brother, he's still the same Ash," he huffed. Nothing may ever change for Ash. Ash and Brock began the battle charging at each other...

* * *

_(One Month Later...)_

Ash and Pikachu were by a cliff overlooking the ocean. Ash was as fit as a fiddle, meaning he won that match against Brock. He seemed to be looking forward to something. As he pondered new moves and new adventures... "You must be Ash," softly roared a male voice. Hearing, Ash and Pikachu turned to see a yellow lion with wings and a large ruby below it's head. It wore silver headgear around the ears like a mane. "I heard of your adventures with Sakura." Who was this talking creature?

"Y-yeah but who are you?" he questioned.

"My name is Kero. I was the one in charge of the Clow Cards by Clow Reed by being the guardian." That's Kero? He's different than the one we were told about.

"That's odd. Sakura said that you were a little plush doll with wings." Yeah, that was the description from before.

"That was before when the Clow Cards were dispersed. With all of the cards in rightful hands, I was able to return to my old form." That explains a lot. Satisfied, Ash came over to seal the friendly deal.

"Well, then. It's an honor to meet you." Ash extended a hand to shake Kero's paw...but got another hand instead: Washu's who came out of nowhere.

"Well, then," she copied. "It's an honor to see you again." Here's the weird part: Washu was dressed like a priest. Yes, priest, not priestess.

"Washu, what's with the getup?" All Washu did was glance over to Sakura...wearing a white bridal gown and holding a bouquet of roses. Ash was shocked to see Sakura all dressed up as she walked over to meet her boyfriend. Ash was so shocked with the approach, he was at a loss for words.

"Ash," she started. "I want to seal the relationship between the two of us." She wanted to marry Ash...but at that age?

"Sakura, you do realize that we're still a few years away from actually giving marriage a thought, right?" Sakura understood but giggled a little.

"I know that. It's just a little mock wedding. The thing is...I don't wanna go back. I wanna stay here and be with you forever. I mean, a tough young man like yourself needs a delicate young lady by his side." Wow. Ash wasn't too sure about how to approach this. Heck, he didn't have a tuxedo for this "ceremony."

"I know it's sudden but I respect Sakura's wishes of remaining here," Kero acknowledged. Ash finally succumbed to the pressure and decided that "marrying" Sakura would make him happier.

"Then I want you to be the only girl that I ever have a thought of loving," he promised. Sakura and Washu nodded before they began.

"Well, now!" Washu spoke up. "We are gathered here today to merge the love and passion of these young people. Blessed by the Guardians of Aura, past, present and future, Sakura Avalon and Ash Ketchum have chosen to lock together the bond of togetherness and love." Pikachu sneaked inside Sakura's gown with a rubbery rope at the edge of the clip. What's going on now? Sakura felt Pikachu and turned to Ash who quickly winked. Something mischievous was stirring. "Ash, do you take Sakura Avalon as your wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, in death do you part, for the rest of your life?" That's a lot of responsibility right there. Ash sucked it up and answered.

"I do."

"And do you, Sakura, take Ash Ketchum as your wedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, in death do you part, for the rest of your life?" Sakura had a great amount of poise for the question.

"I do," she answered. Washu was satisfied with the turnout.

"Both of these youths have accepted the fates of each other and the Guardians have accepted their prayers for longevity of peace and love. Anyone who doubts the bonding of these two, speak now or forever hold your peace." This was going well until...

"I have doubts about this pairing!" roared Jessie and Team Rocket showed up. Great, we were just getting to the good part. All turned to the descending hot-air balloon. "First off, those two are too young to get married!" Yeah, Ash pointed that out before.

"It's a mock wedding, Jessie!" Sakura informed. Jessie balked at the sound of the truth. James and Meowth figured that disturbing this moment might have dire consequences.

"I think we should just let them play it out and stand back, Jessie," James considered. Meowth agreed.

"They're probably warming up for later on when they're all grown up," it meowed. The boys were minding the event going on. Jessie was otherwise.

"Can it, you two!" she roared. "Second, she's not a real woman of the cloth!" She meant Washu which was true but it could be the same piece of the mock wedding.

"Yeah, you figured me out there," Washu admitted. "But like we're saying, this is rather pretend." You'd think Jessie would get the message now. Think again.

"Third, twerps should never get married!" Ouch, that struck a nerve. Ash and Sakura were not one to be insulted in that fashion.

"Say, is Jessie this much of an idiot in the TV show?" he asked Sakura. What a perfect thought about an enemy to ask the one who watched the show.

"Yeah, but she's worse than the show's version," she replied. There's a new low every time Jessie spoke. That bad. Washu was not pleased at this interference and whipped out...a large cannon. Where did she keep that hidden? Team Rocket got startled.

"This should take care of these party crashers," she grinned as she pulled the trigger. A round bomb was shot out of the barrel with a fast velocity, striking the balloon's burner. KABOOM! Team Rocket was heading skyward.

"We never had a chance to go after the twerp's Pikachu!" Jessie whined like a sore loser. James and Meowth were rather eased.

"This would've worked better if those two were sleeping under the same cover, if you get the idea," James reasoned.

"Well, right now," Meowth whimpered. "The only sleeping we're doing is with the fishies!" Bye you three!

"Looks like Team Rocket's leaving the wedding!" they shouted together. A quick reset and the two would be able to finish this off.

"By the power invested in me," Washu began to end. "I, now, pronounce you husband and wife. You may kissed the bride!" Ash and Sakura didn't want to wait but you wait until you're told and they did. And that's when things take a turn for the worst as both fell off the edge of the cliff. Washu gasped at the sudden dive. "I said till death do you part! I didn't mean literally!" She and Kero raced to see no trace of Ash or Sakura. Was that it? Both were "wedded" only to commit suicide? Pikachu was taking all this in stride. He knew something the others didn't. BOING! Looking down, they finally spotted the two kids bungee jumping. That's why Pikachu was so controlled. Not even Kero or Washu saw this coming. More impressive, the two never broke their kiss. That's talented. "I may be a mad scientist, but that was surely evil!" When you outdo a mad scientist, you're doing something right. Outside, Delia and Norman watched on and enjoyed the calamity that unfolded while they held Delia's stomach. Could it be that she's pregnant? This would be their first child as a couple, second for Delia and third for Norman, making four kids. Whether the newborn in months would be a boy or girl, Ash definitely has a ton of responsibility ahead with being a big brother...and a boyfriend.

* * *

THE END


End file.
